Montgomery County is encouraging residents to ditch the plastic bag. Instead, community members are asked to shop with reusable bags or go bagless with a program called MoCo Plastic Free. This campaign kicked off in May with a social media photo sharing contest, using the hashtag #MoCoPlasticFree2019.
Here are a few reasons why you should go plastic free:
- Every second, 160,000 plastic bags are used around the world. On average each bag is used for only 12 minutes.
- Americans throw away 100 billion plastic bags annually. That’s about 307 bags per person.
- Even if you throw your plastic bag away in the trash it may still become litter. When the wind blows the bags at the landfill take flight. It takes 4 Bi-County employees 3 hours to pick up the stray bags after a wind storm.
- The amount of petroleum it takes to make 1 plastic bag could drive a car 36 feet.
Recycling is Easy!
Single use plastic bags cannot be recycled, and they should not be put in the plastic recycling containers located at the County Convenience Centers.
Instead, plastic grocery bags can be recycled be returning them to stores like Walmart, Kroger, Food Lion, Publix, Lowes, etc. Just look for the recycling container that is usually near the front door or by customer service.
Use Reusable Bags Instead.
Start your grocery list with “Bags” as a reminder to bring reusable bags with you or place them on the door knob. Many shoppers prefer keeping reusable shopping bags in their car. So even if you make an unexpected shopping trip, you’re prepared.
Find Out More
For more information regarding MoCo Plastic Free contact MoCoPlasticFree@gmail.com, call 931-245-1867, or visit the website.