- Target:
- Target, Wal-mart, H-E-B, Walgreens, Krogers.
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- www.fastcompany.com
We go through 380 billion plastic bags a year. An estimated 5.2% get recycled; in landfills, they could last 1,000 years. Bags are made from oil, and our bag habit costs us 1.6 billion gallons of oil each year. That last statistic, and its link to global warming, is starting to drive change.
The new bags are expensive--they cost between 5 and 10 cents apiece, while plastic costs between 1 and 4 cents. But the big downside to these bags is that they decompose only in a commercial composting facility, which most cities don't have. Within the dry confines of a landfill, compostable bags will act just like plastic, And they don't decompose in ocean water, creating a giant toilet that doesn't flush.
Target bags list 10 ideas for reuse, letting the company lean green by asking customers to do their bit for the earth. Among the suggestions: "tiny trash-can liner" (#1), kitty-litter liner (#8), and tomorrow's lunch bag (#9). There are no incentives to reduce bag use, though; the bags suggest that you're cool if you reuse them.
That's not recycling and how many people actually read the bags?
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/119/moneybags.html
This petition is to demand that all businesses stop using plastic in their bags, & in their products.
Until they can find a replacement a charge of at least one dollar per bag would deter people from using the plastic bags, & opt instead to purchase a one dollar reusable bag instead.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Stop Plastic Pollution petition to Target, Wal-mart, H-E-B, Walgreens, Krogers. was written by Stefani and is in the category Environment at GoPetition.