Make a Difference for Mother Nature: BYOB Today

Did you BYOB the last time you went shopping? This is a question everyone ought to ask themselves. We are halfway through 2010 and there has never been a more crucial time to bring your own green shopping bags. When you BYOB, instead of using single-use plastic or paper disposable bags, you instantaneously become a part of the solution to the massive urban waste problem linked with disposable shopping bag waste. As of July 1st 2010, it is estimated that over 240 billion plastic bags have been consumed in 2010 alone. What’s even more alarming is the impact that plastic and paper single-use bags are continuing to have on the ecosystem. The intent of this article is to look at the latest reports regarding large-scale efforts to reduce the use of plastic and paper throw-away bags along with the related litter, and discuss what alternatives are available to us individual consumers in order to know for sure we are a part of the solution to this problem.





The excellent news is that BYOB momentum is growing rapidly in this year. Provided you haven’t heard yet, the California legislature has written a bill; AB 1998 (to be voted on by the Senate in August), which would ban throw-away bags sold inside supermarkets, drugstores, convenience, and liquor stores and take complete effect no later than 2013. Even "The Governator", Arnold Schwarzenegger, said that he would sign his name on the bill if it makes it to his desk. This would be a massive win for all friends of the natural world to have the most populated state, in the 3rd largest nation on the earth, to put in place a prohibition on throw-away plastic bags. Considering that China already cracked down on plastic bags in 2008 and Ireland lawmaking efforts to lower plastic bag consumption began in 2002, it is so wonderful to be informed that California legislators have introduced this bill to the table.





In America, metropolitan areas from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Washington DC have approved or enacted laws that either tax customers for the utilization of plastic bags or ban them overall, but California would be the first American state to take action if this bill were to be approved. Believe it or not, even lawmakers from the state of Texas have written possible legislation that would insert a seven-cent tax for each throw-away bag used. It is so exciting that there is a prospect that both Texas and California might soon have laws and regulations in place to fight the plastic bag craze. Hard work by persons and governments to shrink large-scale use of single-use grocery bags is a wonderful way to encourage people and spread the word about the overwhelmingly positive benefits of ecologically friendly reusable shopping bags.





Plastic bags might take up to 1000 years to biodegrade completely, and prior to that it just deteriorates down in smaller and even tinier poisonous pieces that end up in our food, water, and soil. Biodegradable green bags, are a great alternative, once thrown away in landfill sites, the exposure to daylight, air, and warmth will convert these bags into liquid, carbon dioxide, mineral salt and biomass. Like a fallen leaf, it will disappear over time as well as leave NO Harmful Residue in the soil. Single-use plastic bags end up in our landfills as well as regularly get tangled and cause permanent harm in garbage management equipment. Hundreds of millions if not billions of further bags end up as urban litter and frequently find their way in to ponds, large bodies of water, streams, as well as the sea. Creatures, especially nautical animals, get entangled in disposable plastic bags, and/or swallow them and often suffocate or starve to death.





So the remedy takes us back to BYOB, which is extremely simple. Just remember to utilize ecologically friendly reusable grocery bags or recycled shopping bags, or reuse an old bag, period. Be sure to keep extra reusable bags in your sports car or inside your backpack, since you will want to ensure that they are easy to get to once you require them. Also remember to clean your bags after use, especially after transporting raw foods and cleaning supplies. You should also present them to your friends and family as a reminder to BYOB. Of course, always remember to recycle every time the opportunity presents itself, recycling is always a win-win situation for the natural environment. Adopting a BYOB habit in our personal lifestyles and businesses is in truth the greatest way to make sure we are truly part of the solution rather than the problem. Now is the time to go out and lead by example.