That's a lot of plastic

Last week we had a post about garbage collecting in the ocean. A lot of that garbage was made up of plastics that take thousands of years to disintegrate.

EIGN reader jg3 then alerted us to this post over at CNN about all of the plastic shopping bags one gets when leaving the grocery store, walmart, your local porn shop, etc. And the numbers are mind-blowing.

Across the world more than 13 billion bags are issued every year to shoppers -- that's about 220 per person. On average they are used for 12 minutes before being discarded, but then they remain in the environment for thousands of years.
Across the world more than 13 billion bags are issued every year to shoppers -- that's about 220 per person. On average they are used for 12 minutes before being discarded, but then they remain in the environment for thousands of years. (cnn)

I am the first to admit that I contribute to these 13 billion bags (although I always re-use them for other purposes). I wouldn't if only I could remember to bring my re-usable sack to the store, but my memory is not what it used to be. Perhaps I should start playing this game again...I think it helped when I was young, but I can't really remember.