Statistics
Recent statistic shows that Canadians consume 9-15 billion plastic bags annually. Toronto resident alone use 800 million plastic bags annually. Ontarians collectively use almost 80 plastic bags per second; that equals 7,000,000 bags per day.
The energy used to manufacture just 8.7 plastic bags is the same as driving a car 1 kilometer. Most plastic bags are made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE). HDPE is made from petroleum which is a non-renewable resource. HDPE grocery bags are non-biodegradable and non-recyclable. Making these bags produces toxic emissions like carbon and ethanol. Plastic bags can take up to 1000 years to decompose.
Plastic bags photo degrade which is a chemical reaction between plastic and sun. This chemical reactions causes the bags to break down into small toxic bits, which contaminates soil and waterway and enters the food web when animals ingest it, therefore us humans end up ingesting these toxic bits.
The two main sources of energy used to make plastic bags are oil and natural gases. In 2004, the manufacturing of plastic bags accounted for 4% of the world's total oil production. Out of the 22, 243 million barrels of oil produced worldwide, 889 million barrels of oil were used to make plastic bags.
The energy used to manufacture just 8.7 plastic bags is the same as driving a car 1 kilometer. Most plastic bags are made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE). HDPE is made from petroleum which is a non-renewable resource. HDPE grocery bags are non-biodegradable and non-recyclable. Making these bags produces toxic emissions like carbon and ethanol. Plastic bags can take up to 1000 years to decompose.
Plastic bags photo degrade which is a chemical reaction between plastic and sun. This chemical reactions causes the bags to break down into small toxic bits, which contaminates soil and waterway and enters the food web when animals ingest it, therefore us humans end up ingesting these toxic bits.
The two main sources of energy used to make plastic bags are oil and natural gases. In 2004, the manufacturing of plastic bags accounted for 4% of the world's total oil production. Out of the 22, 243 million barrels of oil produced worldwide, 889 million barrels of oil were used to make plastic bags.