"American Shoppers use an estimated 102 billion plastic shopping bags each year -- more than 500 per consumer. Named by Guinness World Records as "the most ubiquitous consumer item in the world", the ultrathin bags have become a leading source of pollution world-wide. They litter the world's beaches, clog city sewers, contribute to the floods in developing countries and fuel a massive flow of plastic waste that is killing wildlife from sea turtles to camels." Kitt Doucette, page 37 Rolling Stone 1136, August 4, 2011, (Excerpt Used with Rolling Stone's Permission)
Read the article by clicing onto http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-plastic-bag-wars-20110725
Among other things, Rolling Stone contributor Kitt Douchette writes in RS 1136 that:
- Flimsy single-use plastic shopping bags are a leading contributor to the world-wide pollution of our lands, oceans, and rivers.
- The average American shopper uses 500 single-use plastic bags annually.
- Several countries -- China, Italy & Bangladesh among others -- have banned single-use plastic bags.
- Other countries, cities & other governments have imposed a fee for every plastic bag used. The Washington D.C. 5-cent-per-bag fee reduced the monthly use of single-use plastic bags bags from 22.5 million to about 3 million.
- The plastics industry -- led by the American Chemistry Council -- is fighting legislation to ban or impose "bag use" fees through its lobbying and litigation.
- The "Bag Monster" lives in Chico, California. Check out the ChicoBag website at http://www.chicobag.com/t-about_us.aspx
- Effective October 15, 2011 the city of Portland will ban single-use plastic bags at major grocery stores and some "big box" stores and larger pharmacies. For more information and a photo of three "Bag Monsters" at the July 21st Portland City Council chambers click (cut and past) on the following link: http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/07/portland_adopts_ban_on_plastic.html
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