No bags, thanks!!! Part 04

Recycle, Reuse, Reduce

Recycling your plastic shopping bags is one of the most obvious courses of action, however only 10% of Australian households take their plastic bags to a central collection point for recycling. This could be due to the fact that HDPE bags can not be put out for collection with other household recyclables, and there is no separate kerbside collection for them as the volume does not support the cost. Instead, bags must be taken to central recycling collection points, such as supermarkets, where there are special bins to collect the bags. Even at these central collection points there is a risk that the bags may end up unsuitable for recycling due to a range of contaminants such as LDPE bags, ink, food, even supermarket dockets if they are left in the bags.

Prior to recycling, of course, the aim should be to reuse your bags. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, less than 1% of plastic bags used in Australia are reused, however 82.6% of Australian households say that they reuse plastic bags. This list of possible uses for plastic shopping bags is almost as long as the lifespan of the bag itself!
If you don't want to take your bags back to the supermarket to use again next time you buy your groceries, there are a multitude of ways you can use them around the house, limited only by your imagination. One thing they should not be used for is lining garbage bins. It doesn't matter if you put them straight in your bin as waste or put your other garbage in them, the plastic bags will still end up in landfill, and potentially at large in the environment.

Given the costs and inconvenience associated with recycling, and the fact that reuse only delays the plastic entering the environment, the most sensible option is to cut down on the number of plastic bags that you use, or stop using them altogether. It is estimated that it takes the average Australian family four shopping trips to accumulate 60 plastic shopping bags. If everyone accepted one less plastic bag every time they went shopping, the number of bags used would be reduced substantially.

do jellyfish

Alternatives

There are a range of alternatives to plastic bags. Some retailers save the cardboard cartons that stock is packaged in, so customers can use them to pack their groceries. Others may offer paper bags. Some major supermarket chains have string or calico bags available for sale at a very small price. These bags can be kept in the car and used again and again. The advantage of calico bags is that they are stronger than the plastic bags, and also much easier to carry. It takes a little thought to get used to bringing your own bags, but it is an easy habit to fall into and it is such a relief not to have to pack the groceries away, and then find room to pack away the plastic bags as well!

There are of course situations where you can't beat a plastic shopping bag, such as when buying meat or "messy" items. Thankfully, technology is catching up with the need for a replacement for polythene bags. It was recently reported that supermarkets in Australia will introduce biodegradable bags made from tapioca starch in April 2003. These bags will look and feel like polythene bags but will decompose in three months.

So next time you go shopping, hold your head up proudly as you reuse or refuse a plastic bag. You may not be in a rubber dinghy chasing a whaling boat or pursuing ivory poachers, but you have made a contribution to the future of the planet.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/bags/default.htm