Plastic is now one of the main sources of pollution in the world. We all dream about stopping overpackaging and wrapping everything in plastic as the only option. We should think green and reuse containers and bags.

That’s exactly what Mr. Denis Coderre, Mayor of Montreal thought. He took the initiative to completely banish shopping bags starting on January 1, 2018 idealy, but the maximum date is the April 22th, 2018, on Earth day. This will affect 3,9 millions of citizens, which is slightly more than half the population of Quebec. He really hopes that many other cities such as Québec will follow his approach.

At the beginning of December 2015, “la Commission Permanente de l’Environnement” told the Mayor that it would be a great idea to abolish shopping bags (ones with a thickness under 50 microns) and oxo-degradable bags as well.

Disposing of plastic bags is very nocive for the environnement. It seems that their recycling is not that rentable on the economic and ecologic view. First, we should know that a plastic bag takes 450 years to decompose when they are put in the garbage and they often block the system in recycling centers. That means that we have to establish a budget for that damages. Also, 80% of the plastic bags are not recycled and even not sorted. Reclycling them requires too much resource because they are too light. Plus, since they are not heavy, they can travel anywhere and they land in rivers, mounains, fields, sea etc. Plastic bags contribute to the degradation of these landscapes.

Something that will make you realize that plastic is an enormous source of pollution is the « Trash Vortex » recovering  3,5 millions km2 in the North Pacific Ocean. It contains about one hundred tons of plastic waste. It destroys the flora and fauna. We estimate that more than one million seabirds  and more than 100 000 marine mammals die each year because of the ingestion of plastic wastes. On the long run, plastic can also produce micro plastic particles which can be ingested by animals.

If you can relate to this article, you can start making some little change in your life. If everyone does this, imagine how we could help our planet! Think green, and try to recycle the more you can.