Plastic : Our Problems Are Blowing in the Wind

Plastic bags may make up a small proportion of the worlds waste but are nevertheless a huge environmental concern.   They have become an easily assessable convenience that we seem unwilling to give up.  Billions of plastic bags are distributed worldwide mainly by grocery stores.

In recent years some have made the switch to offering brown paper bags and even more impressive the reusable cotton or cloth bag which consumers can purchase for a small fee.  To discourage our dependence on the product other stores have put a price on plastic, charging people who request plastic.  Despite these efforts people worldwide are not making the commitment to reusable or to recycling grocery bags.

With billions of these bags literally blowing in the wind some people have come up with creative ways to reuse the products.  Plastics New Zealand is working with the Packaging Council to address some of the issues and raise awareness.  A church council in New Zealand has been collecting the bags from the kerbside and sorting them at a recycling depot where they get packed into bales. The bales are turned into durable plastic planks that can be used as pallets or even fence posts.  Each year New Zealand creates enough fence posts to span the perimeter of the island.

Another initiative that hopes to encourage the reuse of grocery bags is Eco-Fashion, a relatively new idea developed by designers eager to incorporate green styles into their fashion lines.  While there are many variations of Plastic Bag Boots one brand stands out, The Dacca boot which is named after Dhaka, the Bangladesh city which banned plastic bags in 2002.  Creator Camilla Labra never intended the boot to go into production but so many people requested them she now offers them for sale on her website.  Using only 8 bags used to make each boot the idea won’t absorb all the wayward plastic floating around but will hopefully offer some inspiration to others looking for a way to end to reckless abandonment of plastic bags.

Sources:

http://www.plastics.org.nz/page.asp?id=614

http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/lifestyle-fashion/styletrends/Plastic+Bag+Boots-6729.html

Jennifer MacLellan is a contributing writer for the Green Guide Network.  You can contact her at jenn_maclellan@hotmail.com.