EcoMoms: September 2007

Doing our part for a healthier planet in Janesville, Wisconsin

DID YOU KNOW?

100 billion plastic shopping bags are used in the U.S. each year. Only 0.6% are recycled; the remainder end up in landfills, where it is estimated to take up to 1000 years for a bag to fully degrade.
Paper bags, while made from a renewable resource, are also problematic. They require more energy than plastic bags to produce and transport. In 1999, 14 million trees were cut down to manufacture the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans.


WHAT MOMS CAN DO:

IDEA #1: Go canvas! Sidestep the paper-or-plastic issue altogether and bring your own canvas bags to the grocery store. They are sturdy, washable, and generate absolutely no waste! Buy several bags so you can keep a few in your car for unexpected trips to the store.

IDEA #2: Recycle your paper and plastic bags. Paper grocery bags can be recycled with your newspapers and placed in your recycling bin for city of Janesville curbside pick-up. Plastic bags are accepted for recycling at the Logli Supermarket. Pick ‘N Save on Center Ave. doesn’t offer bag recycling, but will give you a nickel off your bill for each bag that you bring in to be used again. Teach your child that recycling pays by letting them collect the money you save!


WHY IT'S IMPORTANT:

•Wisconsinites generate 4.6 million tons of waste each year. That equates to 4.7 pounds of trash per person every day. The amount of waste we are producing is growing twice as fast as our population and we could face shortages in available landfill space in the future.

•12 million barrels of oil are needed to manufacture all the plastic bags used in this country in a single year. Curbing our plastic bag habit could significantly decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

• If 25% of American families used just 10 fewer plastic bags each month, an estimated 2.5 billion bags could be kept out of the landfills each year.

• Thousands of marine animals die annually from ingesting plastic bags that turn up in our oceans and waterways.


This EcoMOMs tip was brought to you by Dana Petersen Murphy, mom to Sabriel. You can contact me at dpmurphy@photokiva.com.