Environmental Damage of Plastic Bags

The environmental damage caused by plastic bags is enormous. Plastic makes up 80% of the volume of litter on roads, parks, and beaches and makes up 90% of floating litter in the ocean In every square mile of ocean there are over 46,000 pieces of plastic. This puts an enormous strain on the environment. The little pieces of plastic act as a sort of sponge for chemicals. They soak up millions of deadly compounds. Marine life then eats these pieces and dies. It is estimated that over a 100,000 different birds, seals and whales die every year After the animal dies the plastic is free to roam the ocean and kill again.

The Carcass of an Albatross Filled with Plastic

When plastic bags find their way into the ocean they kill endangered turtles. Plastic bags are eaten by turtles who confuse them for jellyfish, their primary food source. The turtles then suffocate.



Plastic bags wrap themselves around living coral and quickly kill them. This has become a huge problem for Australia, whose Great Barrier Reef is being threatened by little white bags of death. Plastic bags trap seals and sea lions, prevent whales from digesting and kill birds by the thousands.

A baby seal caught in a plastic bag

Despite what some economist tell you, you cannot put a price on the environment. If people realized the destruction that is done to the environment or the amount of animals that die from their over consumption of plastic bags, I'm sure they would switch to a reusable bag.
We need to make sure that the bags that are consumed are recycled and not just littered into the streets.
NOW WATCH THIS VIDEO: The Curse of the Plastic Bag


Source: plasticbageconomics