Did you BYOB the last time you went shopping?This is a question everyone must ask himself or herself.  We are midway through 2010 and there has by no means been a more critical era to bring your own reusable green bags. When you BYOB, rather than using single-use plastic or paper disposable bags, you instantaneously become a piece of the solution to the immense urban litter predicament associated with disposable shopping bag waste.  As of July 1st 2010, it is estimated that over 240 billion plastic bags have been consumed in 2010 alone.  What ís yet even more alarming is the impact that plastic and paper throw-away bags are continuing to have on the ecosystem.   The intent of this article is to examine the most up-to-date news regarding large-scale efforts to reduce the use of plastic and paper disposable bags along with the related waste, and talk about what alternatives are available to us individual consumers in order to make sure we are a part of the solution to this problem.  

The good news is that BYOB momentum is growing quickly in 2010.  If you havenít heard the news yet, the California legislature has proposed a bill; AB 1998 (to be voted on by the Senate in August), that would prohibit disposable bags offered inside supermarkets, drugstores, convenience, and liquor stores and take complete effect by 2013.  Even ìThe Governatorî, Arnold Schwarzenegger, said that he would sign the legislation if it makes it to his desk.   This could be a gigantic win for all friends of the natural environment to have the biggest state, inside the third biggest country on the planet, to place a prohibition on throw-away plastic bags. Taking into consideration that China first cracked down on plastic bags in 2008 and Ireland lawmaking efforts to lower plastic bag usage all started in 2002, it is so amazing to be informed that California lawmakers have introduced this bill to the table.  

In America, metropolitan areas from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Washington DC have approved or enacted laws and regulations that either tax customers for the consumption of plastic bags or outlaw them completely, but California would be the first US state to take action if this possible law were to be approved.  Believe it or not, even state representatives from the state of Texas have written a possible bill that would add a 7-cent tax for each throw-away bag used.   It is so amazing that there is a prospect that both Texas and/or California might soon have policies in place to battle the plastic bag epidemic.  Actions by individuals and governments to reduce large-scale use of throw-away grocery bags is a wonderful method to inspire people and spread the word about the extremely positive benefits of ecologically friendly reusable shopping bags.

Plastic bags can take up to 1000 years to biodegrade fully, and before that it just decomposes down in to smaller and smaller toxic pieces that wind up inside our food, water, and soil. Biodegradable reusable grocery bags, are a wonderful alternative, once discarded in landfill sites, the exposure to daylight, oxygen, and warmth will convert these bags into liquid, carbon dioxide, mineral salt and biomass.  Akin to a fallen leaf, it will disappear in time plus leave Zero Toxic Residue in the soil.  Single-use plastic bags finish up in our landfills as well as frequently get tangled and cause permanent damage in garbage management machinery.   Hundreds of millions if not billions of further bags end up as urban litter and commonly find their way in to creeks, large bodies of water, streams, in addition to the ocean.  Animals, especially marine animals, get tangled in single-use plastic bags, and/or consume them and time and again suffocate or starve to death.  

So the resolution leads us back to BYOB, which is incredibly easy.  Just remember to utilize environmentally friendly reusable shopping bags or recycled green bags, or reuse an older bag, period.  Be sure to keep additional reusable bags in your vehicle and/or inside your rucksack, since you will want to ensure they are easy to get to as soon as you want them.  Also remember to wash your bags following use, especially after transporting raw foods and/or cleaning supplies.  You may also offer them to your friends and colleages as a reminder to BYOB.  Of course, always remember to recycle when the chance presents itself, recycling is always a win-win situation for the natural world.  Adopting a BYOB habit in our individual lives and businesses is really the greatest way to guarantee we are truly part of the solution rather than the problem.  Now is the time to go out and lead by example.