The environmental impact of plastic bags continues to be debated as more and more regions of the world continue to ban their use.

• San Francisco was the first city in North America to ban them (the law prohibits stores from using non-recyclable and non-biodegradable plastic bags made from petroleum products).
• Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, cities in India and Bangladesh and towns in the United Kingdom have banned them.  In India, discarded plastic bags on roadsides were being ingested by free-ranging cows, resulting in their death.  In Dhaka, plastic bags were causing serious flooding by clogging sewer drains.
• Countries such as Ireland and South Africa make you pay for the bags when you leave the supermarket (within six months, Ireland reduced its plastic bag use by 90%).

They may make up for a small share of our landfills in comparison to other items and even use less energy to produce, but to put it simply, we can all live without them.  It is estimated that 500 billion plastic shopping bags are distributed and discarded each year, taking up to 1,000 years to break down.

• If you have an overflowing amount in your home already, take them back to the grocery store and re-use them. Check for places that will recycle them for you as well.
• Keep an eye out for supermarkets that offer used cardboard boxes to carry your purchases, or in some cases, stores that supply biodegradable bags.
• Better yet, take a backpack, cloth bags or baskets when shopping.