Non Woven Polypropylene Bags – In The News

The ABC network in Australia did a feature story on plastic shopping bags that exposed some very shocking truths, and made us proud to create polypropylene non woven bags. 

One of them was the revelation that in the oceans, plastic bags may be mistaken for jellyfish.  Now, we all know that the bags pollute the oceans.  But to witness a sea turtle with a belly-full of plastic is quite another level of knowing.  All kinds of wildlife, including whales, birds and seals have been found with blockages in their digestive system.  A system plugged by plastic.  Animals of any kind (humans included) were never intended to eat plastic. 

Why are plastic bags indigestible?  Because they don’t break down.  And if stomach acid can’t do the job, then what can?  ABC News estimates that plastic bags take anywhere from 20 to 100 years to decompose.  If that isn’t bad enough, consider the chain of life.  Careless consumer discards plastic bag used to carry his groceries home.  Plastic bag flutters and swirls around the neighborhood, eventually landing in the woods.  An animal (mistaking the plastic for food of some sort) eats the bag.  The cycle doesn’t end there because when that animal returns to organic matter, the plastic does not.  So that item can very well stay in the ecosystem for 20 to 100 years, passing through a string of unsuspecting wildlife who each live a short life. 

We use this story to drive home the point that our society can no longer afford to use plastic bags, not if we want the environment and its ecosystems that support all life to continue.  One very small thing that we can do is to switch away from plastic shopping bags.  We recommend polypropylene bags, made from recycled materials.  You may think that this can’t make a difference, but it can.  The organization ‘Clean Up Australia’ claims that Aussies use more than 6 billion plastic bags per year.  They have calculated that this number of plastic bags, used by one country alone, could tie together to form a chain that it long enough to go around the world.  After one round trip, it could continue on another 36 times.  Try to wrap your mind around that.    

Stop the madness and do what you can, use recycled non woven bags.  Tell your family and friends too.   Shoot imaginary daggers through your eyes when you see someone taking plastic bags at the grocery store!  There is no need for the negative and harmful cycle to continue, when we have such great alternatives.