4. Why Plastic Bags?
Five long winter months
watching an entangled
plastic bag
Final destination: Bob
Marshall Wilderness or Swan
River
5. Why Plastic Bags?
Five long winter months
watching an entangled
plastic bag
Final destination: Bob
Marshall Wilderness or Swan
River
Before leaving MT: canvas
bags, backpacks, &
supersized leather purse
7. Plastic Bags are an
environmental
nuisance
Plastic bags often blow away from landfills
8. Plastic Bags are an
environmental
nuisance
Plastic bags often blow away from landfills
Difficult to recycle = $4,000 to process and
recycle 1 ton of plastic bags = sold for $32
9. Plastic Bags are an
environmental
nuisance
Plastic bags often blow away from landfills
Difficult to recycle = $4,000 to process and
recycle 1 ton of plastic bags = sold for $32
“Recycled” or shipped to India?
10. Plastic Bags are an
environmental
nuisance
Plastic bags often blow away from landfills
Difficult to recycle = $4,000 to process and
recycle 1 ton of plastic bags = sold for $32
“Recycled” or shipped to India?
Materials constructed from recycled plastic
bags are typically headed for the landfill
within a year
19. My guiding questions
Every plastic bag is a threat
Guilt versus pocketbook/Missoula think tank
How much oil do I personally consume with
my use (misuse) of plastic bags?
Fred Meyer offers $0.05 per reusable bag at
checkout.
How much money can I save in a year?
21. Methodology
Tracked number of plastic bags consumed
during the course of two weeks
1 plastic bag = 0.0043 g of oil
1 doggie bag = 0.00215 g of oil
Calculated gallons per year
22. analysis
250
200
Gallons of Oil
150
Ann
100
50
0
1 year 5 years 10 years 50 years
Time (Years)
Fig. 1 Ann's oil consumption through plastic bag use.
23. analysis
Average gallons per
250
year = 4 g
200
10 years = 1 barrel
Gallons of Oil
150
Ann
416 plastic bags and
100
988 doggie bags per
50
year
0
1 year 5 years 10 years 50 years
Time (Years) Save $20.00 on
Fig. 1 Ann's oil consumption through plastic bag use.
groceries
24. analysis
160000
140000
120000
100000
barrels of oil
80000
Juneau
60000
40000
20000
0
1 year 5 years 10 years 50 years
Time (years)
Fig. 2 Juneau's consumption of oil using plastic bags
25. analysis
160000
42 g to a barrel
140000
120000
Juneau may consume
100000 almost 3000 barrels of
barrels of oil
80000
Juneau
oil per year through
60000
plastic bag use
40000
29 million barrels per
20000
year in the U.S. or 12
0
1 year 5 years 10 years 50 years million barrels?
Time (years)
Fig. 2 Juneau's consumption of oil using plastic bags
27. Conclusions
Reusable bags and
biodegradable doggie bags
$0.99 or $0.89 at Fred Meyer
http://globalgoodspartners.org/cart/
results.cfm?cat=s8
Plastic over paper and
RECYCLE (despite pitfalls)
30. Questions for Further
Study
American Chemistry Council and Save the Plastic Bag
Do biodegradable bags really biodegrade?
31. Questions for Further
Study
American Chemistry Council and Save the Plastic Bag
Do biodegradable bags really biodegrade?
Garbage bags, bread bags, plastic packaging
32. Questions for Further
Study
American Chemistry Council and Save the Plastic Bag
Do biodegradable bags really biodegrade?
Garbage bags, bread bags, plastic packaging
Ireland, Bangladesh, South Africa, Thailand, Taiwan,
China, and some U.S. cities ban plastic bags