Now You See It, Now You Don't!
TellzAll's subject for December is Plastic Shopping Bags!
Today, when most people go to various stores, they carry their purchases home in plastic shopping bags. While such bags remain common today, before much longer, plastic bags might be no more.
Plastic was first introduced in the 1860s. While it quickly gained acceptance in the manufacture of many items, companies did not begin using plastic to produce shopping bags until the 1970s. These first bags were manufactured from polyethylene, a type of plastic made from oil and natural gas. In the United States of America, plastic shopping bags became widely used in 1982, when Kroger and Safeway grocery stores began to offer their customers plastic bags instead of paper ones.
Since 1982, plastic bags have been the overwhelming bags of choice among consumers. However, in recent years, many people have increasingly objected to the use of plastic bags. The use of oil and natural gas to manufacture the bags reduces the available supplies of these raw materials. Polyethylene plastic bags also are usually only used once and then disposed of in the trash. These bags take generations to begin to decompose and release harmful chemicals in the process. Plastic bags can also be harmful to children and wildlife. In these instances, if improperly disposed, plastic bags can be choking hazards.
Despite the criticisms of plastic bags, many supporters of these devices claim that plastic bags are cheaper to manufacture and are easier to recycle than other alternatives if plastic bags are disposed of properly. Still, critics of plastic bags have convinced many stores to sell reusable shopping bags, usually made from canvas. These bags allow shoppers to reuse the bags for years. Also, many communities have banned plastic shopping bags. In 2007, San Francisco and Oakland, California prohibited the use of plastic shopping bags. Other communities across the United States have since implemented similar bans or enacted taxes on plastic bags to reduce their use.
While plastic shopping bags are still readily available today, before much longer, these once conveniences may very well be no more.
