I will carry a reusable shopping bag with me so that I can reduce the amount of plastic This way I will help in the reduction of plastic waste. I will also encourage my family and friends to do the same. Plastic bags are one of the most unnecessary contributors pollution in our environment today. Consider the following facts about plastic bags: Consider the following shocking facts about plastic shopping bags: * Plastic bags are made of polyethylene * Polyethylene is a petroleum product * Production contributes to air pollution and energy consumption * Four to five trillion plastic bags are manufactured each year * Americans use over 380 billion polyethylene bags per year * Americans throw away approximately 100 billion polyethylene bags per year * Of those 100 trillion plastic bags, 1% are recycled * It takes 1000 years for polyethylene bags to break down * As polyethylene breaks down, toxic substances leach into the soil and enter the food chain * Approximately 1 billion seabirds and mammals die per year by ingesting plastic bags * Plastic bags are often mistaken as food by marine mammals. 100,000 marine mammals die yearly by eating plastic bags. * These animals suffer a painful death, the plastic wraps around their intestines or they choke to death * Plastic bag choke landfills * Plastic bags are carried by the wind into forests, ponds, rivers, and lakes Read more: http://environmental-activism.suite101.com/article.cfm/say_no_to_plastic_bags#ixzz0RS6rRvMP