The environmental damage caused by plastic bags is enormous. Plastic makes up 80% of the volume of litter on roads, parks, and beaches and makes up 90% of floating litter in the ocean (BEC). In every square mile of ocean there are over 46,000 pieces of plastic. This puts an enormous strain on the environment. The little pieces of plastic act as a sort of sponge for chemicals. They soak up a million fold greater concentration of such deadly compounds as PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of the notorious insecticide DDT), than the surrounding seawater (Reusablebags.com). Marine life then eats these pieces and dies. It is estimated that over a 100,000 different birds, seals and whales die every year (Reusablebags.com). After the animal dies its carcass decomposes and the plastic is free to roam the ocean and kill again.



When plastic bags find their way into the ocean they kill endangered turtles. Plastic bags are injested by turtles who confuse them for jellyfish, their primary food source.  The turtles then suffocate.

                                     

Plastic bags  wrap themselves around living coral and quickly kill them. This has become a huge problem for Australia, whose Great Barrier Reef is being threatened by little white bags of death. Plastic bags trap seals and sea lions, prevent whales from digesting and kill birds by the thousands.



Despite what some economist tell you, you can not put a price on the environment. Many of these animals have existence values that are immesurable. If people realized the destruction that is done to the environment or the amount of animals that die from their  over consumption of plastic bags, I'm sure they would switch to a reusable bag.

Not only do we need to limit people's consumption of plastic bags but also we need to make sure that the bags that are consumed are recycled and not merely littered into the streets.