Each disposable shopping bag is typically used for less than an hour.  Reusable shopping bags can be used for many years.

• Year that plastic grocery bags were introduced at supermarkets¹:   1977
• Estimated number of all types of plastic bags used each year, world-wide²:   4,000,000,000,000
• Number of plastic shopping bags used each year, in the US alone³:   14,000,000,000
• Percentage of plastic bags returned for recycling²:   1
• Annual cost to US retailers for giving away "free" bags:   $4,000,000,000
• Barrels of oil required for US annual plastic bag consumption⁴:   12,000,000
• Number of marine animals killed each year due to plastic bags⁵:   100,000
• Average number of pieces of plastic in each square mile of ocean⁶:   46,000

• Number of paper bags consumed each year, in the US alone⁷:   10,000,000,000
• Number of trees cut down for paper bag consumption, in the US⁷:   14,000,000

• Percentage energy savings in making plastics bags, rather than paper bags⁸:   40
• Percentage in air pollution reduction from making plastic bags⁸:   50
• Percentage of waste water reduced by making plastic bags⁸:   94
• Number of years for a plastic bag to degrade as litter⁹:   disputed
• Number of months for a paper bag to biodegrade as litter¹⁰:   1
• Estimated number of years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill:   disputed
• Number of years for a paper bag to biodegrade in a landfill:   centuries

• Percentage of litter in Ireland due to plastic bags, before bag tax¹¹:   5
• Percentage drop in plastic bag consumption in Ireland,
  after a 15-cent bag tax was introduced¹²:   90
• Annual revenue generated by Irish bag tax¹²:   €10,000,000

• Number of plastic bags prevented by the Irish bag tax, annually¹²:   1,000,000,000

1. Great Moments in Plastic Bag History. Film and Bag Federation.
2. Plastic Bags: A Necessary Eyesore? Worldwatch Institute.
3. ABC News. December 9, 2003.
4. Reusable Bags Tackle Plastic Bag Mess. Organic Trade Association.
5. Earth Resource Foundation.
6. Keep the Sea Plastic Free—Bin It. Australian Government, Department of the Environment and Heritage.
7. Healthwell. March, 2002.
8. Paper vs. Plastic Bags. Franklin and Associates. 1990.
9. Will My Plastic Bag Still Be Here in 2507? Slate. June 27, 2007.
10. Leave No Trace. US Bureau of Land Management.
11. Irish Take Lead with Plastic Bag Levy. MSNBC. August 4, 2003.
12. Irish Bag Tax Hailed Success. BBC News. August 20, 2002.

• Shopping Bag Articles
• Solutions to the Shopping Bag Problem
• Lifestyle and Thoughs on Reusable Shopping Bags
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