[written
by anonymous friend and edited by me]
What would our world be like without plastic? When I walk down the aisles of giant chain stores, most everything is composed of or contained in some form of plastic. Limiting the use of plastic is one of the main ways in which I try to make environmentally conscious decisions. I even rinse my plastic utensils at work so I can reuse them. I drink coffee every morning using a straw but at the end of the day, I rinse my straw when I clean my cup so I don't have to toss it after one use. In many cities such as Toronto, grocery stores charge you for bags. It was only recently that the idea of banning plastic bags began to take effect in the United Stated albeit less than 10% of all states have implemented such a law. I don't always remember to take my reusable bags to the store but on many occasions (when the items are small enough) I've asked the cashier not to bag my things. Do I really need a huge plastic bag for a small bottle of nail polish? Or a birthday card, and two packets of personal wipes? No, I just put them in my purse after paying for them. I also will almost always ask not to put any tissue papers in my bag because what happens to them later? Trashed. Until bags are made of 100% biodegradable material, then I will be more comfortable with idea of bagging my store bought items. Many places are now allowing you to return plastic bags after using them, but wouldn't it be more economical to eliminate the need for them in the first place, so we won't have to recycle them? I realize that it may not be economically feasible to make all bags biodegradable right this second, but the idea is to speed up the reduction of plastic bag usage.
