Blog Post 1 : Plastic Bag Waste

    One impact that was observed during the documentary Battle of the Bags was how much the economy relies on the production of plastic bags. How many people it gives a job. I guess I never really thought about it. Which I guess is just one of those topics that always gets overlooked which is why there is such a lack of knowledge about plastic pollution. I myself carry a cotton reusable mesh tote bag whenever I go to the store so I don't need to use plastic bags. I realized a while ago what a waste they were but I never thought about the production and economical factors of the plastic bag. 

    Which that mesh tote bag that I talked about using is also another solution to the plastic bag issue; or any sort of cloth bag will do. In the documentary they talked about how it became a popular fad as celebrities started carrying cloth bags with the statement "I'm not a plastic bag" on a canvas cloth tote that was designed by a British designer Anya Hindmarch that sold for about $15 (UBC Blogs). It was assumed by psychologist that studied the average consumer that they started to become so popular due to its brand-name. 

    In my own personal opinion I think having celebrities and influencers advertise using alternative sustainable options to the plastic bag definitely makes an impact. Or stores only offering paper bags or you can buy your own cloth one of $0.99. I think that the U.S. should definitely try to experiment with this first and possibly even trying to eliminate the production of plastic bags all together and switch that production to cloth bags and other earth friendly options. I feel like locally some stores already do this such as Trader Joes, Whole Foods, OutPost, and other small sustainable local shops. It can definitely be an adjustment but just making that constant effort to try to stay on the sustainable side is critical. 

beat-plastic-pollution Here's an extra link to learn more about a global organization that is trying to prevent mass plastic pollution. 

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