A few facts about plastic bags

Every second in the world 160 thousand plastic bags are used and thrown away. Over the year, this figure rises to five trillion units or three trillion tons. A very vivid example was given: if we connected all the plastic bags in the world with each other, they would easily circumnavigate the entire globe more than 4200 times.

As we know, plastic bags can travel very long distances with the help of wind and water, and thereby pollute the environment. Not so long ago, candy wrappers and plastic remains were found in an absolutely unpredictable place - in the Mariana Trench. And this is not at all surprising, given that a fourth of the earth’s water surface is covered with floating debris, which consists mainly of polyethylene and plastic.

More than 267 thousand different species of animals are exposed to plastic waste annually. This includes 86 percent of sea turtles, 44 percent of seabirds, and 43 percent of marine mammals. This is especially true for underwater residents, because 260 million tons of garbage are thrown annually into the oceans. But in general, about 25% of the animal and plant species of the planet are at risk of destruction. This can directly affect people through the food chain.

Previously, animals died out due to natural disasters, but now they disappear due to degradation of the environment caused by pollution, deforestation and human activities. The situation is also exacerbated by climate change. But a special and decisive role in what is happening is again played out by the enormous quantities of harmful plastic waste released into the environment.

On average, the time it takes to use the package is 20-30 minutes - as long as we bring products from the store home. Then the packet is successfully thrown away, and the rest of his life, lasting 400 years, spends lying in the ground and does his dirty work - poisoning the environment.

According to statistics, all over the world only one packet of 200 gets recycled. Burning packets is also not an option, since they emit carbon dioxide. Moreover, they are also harmful by the fact that they are made from petroleum products, the extraction of which also harms nature. There is a solution - refusal to manufacture and sell disposable plastic items and bags. Fortunately, the production of packages is actively rebuilding their capacities and directing them to the manufacture of excellent analogues, such as biodegradable packages from corn and potato starch, soy or cellulose. Such a package is completely decomposed in the soil in just a few months.

The statistics given above indicate that there is nowhere to put off this problem further. The consequences will be disastrous. But for your part, you can already take today the first small step towards the environmentally friendly future of your descendants. Even minimal rejection of the use of plastic and polyethylene play a big role for the environment as a whole.