Share: As the impact of single-use plastic bags becomes more apparent, state bans and laws have been enacted.
The number of plastic bags in the environment has become a major issue since the United States uses roughly 100 billion plastic bags each year, yet only about 1% of them are recycled.
Plastic takes years to decay, and even when it does, it isn’t completely degraded. Microplastics, or microscopic fragments of plastic, are formed when plastic is broken down. Microplastics pollute the environment as well as human and animal dietary sources.
Grocery stores, department stores, liquor stores, restaurants, convenience stores, and other retail outlets in the impacted environment that offer consumers with single-use, lightweight plastic bags to carry products home will need to find alternatives to single-use plastic bags.
Plastic Bags That Aren’t Single-Use
There are a variety of single-use plastic bag alternatives available.
When it comes to the energy and water consumed during the manufacturing process, as well as its end-of-life disposal, each alternative has a different sustainability impact. Some alternatives will be more environmentally friendly than others.
If you want to use the ban to meet sustainability goals, the best option is to use an alternative material that has a smaller environmental footprint.
You may not be obtaining the most ecologically friendly option if you are seeking for the most cost-effective option.