Victoria Heidkamp

1. •Thousands of marine animals and more than 1 million birds die each year as a result of
plastic pollution.
•Approx. 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year.That’s more
than 1,200 bags per US resident, per year- Less than 1% are recycled!
•It costs $4,000 to process and recycle 1 ton of plastics bags, which can then be sold on
commodities market for only $32.
WHAT CAN WE DO??
•Using one cloth reusable bag can save up to 6 plastic bags a week, or 24 bags
a month, or 288 bags a year, or 22,176 bags in a lifetime, making the
environmental impact very worthwhile.
•Reusable bags are most often non-toxic, non-corrosive and non-allergenic.
•Reusable bags are washable and most will last for years.
Victoria Heidkamp

2. References
 Ponnuru, Ramesh. "The DisgustingConsequences of Plastic-Bag Bans." Bloomberg. N.p., n.d.Web. 12
Apr. 2013.
 Villarreal, Pamela, and Baruch Feigenbaum. "A Survey on the Economic Effects of LosAngelesCounty's
Plastic Bag Ban | NCPA." ASurvey on the Economic Effects of Los AngelesCounty's Plastic Bag Ban | NCPA.
NCPA, n.d.Web. 12Apr. 2013.
 Wagner, Jamey. "The Effects of Plastic Bags on Environment." The Effects of Plastic Bags on Environment.
Healthguidence.org, n.d.Web. 12Apr. 2013.
 Image 1: http://cruelty-free-world.blogspot.com/2010/07/no-more-free-plastic-bags-in-california.html
 Image 2: http://granitegrok.com/blog/2012/04/what-could-go-wrong-la-set-to-ban-paper-and-plastic