Plastic bags take up a large portion of plastic pollution on the Earth. Although other plastic products are very prevalent in the plastic industry, plastic bags have unique characteristics – they are very prone to flying out the trash bins and garbage trucks and getting into the natural environment like rivers, forests, and oceans.

This ThoughtCo. article (https://www.thoughtco.com/why-stop-using-plastic-bags-1204167), says that one plastic bag can take over 1,000 years to break down into microplastic particles and will continue to pollute the environment for many years to come.

Moreover, this The World Counts article (http://www.theworldcounts.com/counters/waste_pollution_facts/plastic_bags_used_per_year) says that humans will have used and disposed of over 5 trillion plastic bags this year! That is an incredibly large number! Also, remember that those plastic bags will take over 1,000 years to break down. Those bags are often mistaken for food and when eaten by animals, may very likely cause death.

Most supermarkets and malls provide plastic bags for free to attract more consumers. Think about this: if the mall does not provide plastic bags, only the people bringing their own bags will go shopping in the mall. They will miss out on consumers who will just walk past. They may even want to buy something at that moment but simply forgot to bring a bag. Also, if a mall provides plastic bags for free, they will be more competitive than other malls who do not provide this service to customers. Many people even like to ask for more plastic bags than they need so that they can use those bags in other places like in their own home as a garbage bag.

However, now it is time to change. If everyone understands the hazards of using plastic bags, then perhaps people who go to malls and stores will remember to bring his or her own bag instead of using harmful plastic ones.

So, what should we do as an individual?

1. Other types of bags like cloth bags are a good choice. Be sure to store some cloth bags in your car so that when we want to shop, you do not need to use the plastic bags provided in the store.
2. If you absolutely need to throw a plastic bag away, fill it with some heavy garbage so that the bag will not fly away in the wind.
3. Spread the word and tell people that you know of the hazards of using plastic bags and encourage people to work together to reduce plastic pollution.