Plastic bags. Billions of the handy throwaway items are used around the world every year. They take hundreds of years to biodegrade and have sparked heated debates in cities from San Francisco to Mumbai.
This documentary gets a handle on the bag battle. From the big oil employees who brought the bag to America - to the Nobel laureate fighting for a bag ban - to the retired German schoolteacher who holds the world's record for the most plastic bags, the film takes stock of this icon of convenience culture.
"Plastic or paper? Neither, an Earthwise Reusable Bag please!!"
Environmental Facts & Factoids
The U.S. uses 100 Billion plastic bags annually, which is the energy equivalent of 12 Million barrels of oil. 2
Less than 1% of plastic bags are ever recycled. 2
Each high quality reusable bag will eliminate hundreds to thousands of plastic bags over its lifetime
Plastic Bags kill sea animals that mistake them for food or become entangled in them.
It costs California taxpayers $20.5 Million to collect and landfill plastic bag waste each year. This does not include external costs, e.g. pollution, risk and threat to marine life, economic loss due to litter, etc. 3
1. Thaddeus Herreck. 2003. “Plastic Bag Fight Pitts U.S. Makers V. U.S. Importers” Wallstreet Journal.
2. Worldwatch Institute. 2004 Study.
$140/ton estimated cost of per-ton collection based on 1999 CA Waste Survey & Industry estimates.
3. Figure cited from: Goldman, George and Ogishi, Aya. 4/04/01, “the Economic Impact of Waste Disposal and Diversion in California:,Pg 39, Report to CIWMB.
