They end up in landfills, where the petroleum-based plastic can take one thousand years to decompose.
"Plastic bags are a huge problem at the Summit County landfill," said Mark Offret, Public Works Superintendent. “They blow around – thousands of them.”
With an estimated 262 billion plastic bags consumed worldwide this year, plastic bags are a huge problem everywhere.
The Summit County Recycling Task Force is selling totes for $1 at the Courthouse and all the major grocery chains have reusable bags for about the same price.
Checkers at local supermarkets are becoming more familiar with patrons who bring their own bags. Signs on the outside of supermarkets say, “Did you forget your reusable bag?” Many successful bag users keep their reusable bags in the car and put a reminder sticker on the dashboard.
If you forget your own bag, choosing paper bags over plastic bags is more environmentally responsible because paper is a renewable resource.
