Plastic bags
The dangers of plastic bags
Oprah Shines Light On Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Single-use bags, both paper and plastic, represent a huge threat to the environment. This threat is not only related to the sheer volume of them ending up in landfill, but also to the resources needed to produce, transport and (occasionally) recycle them, and the emissions resulting from these processes. Single-use plastic bags are also well known for their interference in ecosystems and the part they play in flood events, where they clog pipes and drains.
Each Envirosax potentially replaces the use of 6,000 bags during its lifetime, so please make a move in the right direction and help to reduce the impact of plastic bag waste worldwide by buying a reusable bag today!
Plastic bag facts
Thousands of marine animals and more than 1 million birds die each year as a result of plastic pollution.- The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating in every square mile of ocean.
- Plastic bags are often mistakenly ingested by animals, clogging their intestines which results in death by starvation. Other animals or birds become entangled in plastic bags and drown or can't fly as a result.
Plastic bags are often mistakenly ingested by animals, clogging their intestines which results in death by starvation. Other animals or birds become entangled in plastic bags and drown or can't fly as a result.- Greenpeace says that at least 267 marine species are known to have suffered from getting entangled in or ingesting marine debris. Nearly 90% of that debris is plastic.
Why are Envirosax made from polyester? Isn't that plastic?
It's true, Envirosax are made from polyester which is a plastic. The fundamental problem with conventional plastic bags is not that they are made from plastic, it's that they are not designed to be re-used. Some of the most serious problems associated with disposable bags are outlined below.
The philosophy of Envirosax is to provide a fashionable and practical product that is designed to last, and despite some drawbacks, polyester is the best material to suit this purpose:
- It is extremely lightweight and allows the bag to be rolled up into a very compact package, which encourages people to carry them with them and increases re-use.
- It can be printed by sublimation, which means the print will never fade and the bag will look good for its whole lifetime.
- It is highly durable, which means each Envirosax will last for years.
- It is relatively inexpensive, which means Envirosax are affordable for anyone, which will help spread the message of re-use to people of all incomes.
To purchase Envirosax bags from our online shop click here
In defending reusable plastic bags made from plastics, green groups such as Planet Ark state that any move from single-use plastic bags is a good thing. Planet Ark's Doug McLean says the green bags "serve as a first step in changing the way we use bags and why we use bags". They are "not perfect, but they are an initial break in the link of people taking 7 billion throwaway bags. There is an emphasis on behaviour change". One of the biggest behaviour changes will be teaching people to reuse the bags rather than discard them when they wear out.
Ian Kiernan, chairman of the Clean Up Australia campaign, last year defended green bags in a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald. "Each green bag will last an average household about two years, or 104 shops, after which they can be recycled through Coles and Bi-Lo supermarkets," he said. "Every green bag equals 1.2 single-use plastic bags. That's an estimated 8.3 plastic bags saved every week, or 431 a year."