Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year, which require 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture.
Americans use an average of 365 plastic bags per person per year. People in Denmark use an average of four plastic bags per year.
It takes 1,000 years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill. Unfortunately, the bags don't break down completely but instead photo-degrade, becoming microplastics that absorb toxins and continue to pollute the environment.
You can help reduce the use of single-use plastic bags in your home by making a re-usable bag from an old t-shirt! All you need is an old t-shirt and a pair of scissors. If you have a sewing machine, you can use that too but it's not required. Here are two videos that show you how:
If this is something you really enjoy, you might consider contacting a food pantry in your local community and asking if they would be interested in receiving a bunch of these t-shirt bags for their clients.
