Reduce/Stop Using Polyethylene Plastic Bags

Polyethylene plastic bags are not biodegradable. They clog waterways, spoil the landscape, and end up in landfills where they may take 1,000 years or more to break down to smaller particles (more toxic materials named petro-polymers) that will continue to pollute the soil and water.

Producing plastic bags requires million gallons of petroleum that could instead be used for transportation or heating.
Plastic bags also pose a serious danger to birds and marine mammals that often mistake them as their food. For them, floating plastic bags look similiar to sea algaes.

Below are a couple of things we can do to help:

1. Use reusable shopping bags

2. Recycle the used plastics bag or re-use the same plastic bag as many times as possible

3. If we really need to use plastics bag, at least we buy the biodegrable one. (In "Cold Storage Hypermart" they are actually selling biodegrable dustbin bags/garbage bags, about RM6-7 per gulung). Jaya Jusco Hypermarket, Petronas Mesra Mart and Tesco their plastics bags are biodegradable. Somehow, biodegrable bags might still have certain impacts on the environment too such as it takes at least 18 months for most to breakdown and breakdown of starch-based films of the bags in water consumes oxygen, resulting in oxygen depletion that contributes to algae blooms and the death of marine life. More info: http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=8

Somehow, as a start, lets us at least practice this words to every of the Hypermart cashier or whenever we buy stuff, "Terima Kasih, I will use my own bag" or "No need plastic bag pls" (But don't forget to keep the receipts, just in case Mr Guard stops us on the way)

Normally what I will do is to put few plastic bags (or even better biodegrable one) in my handbag as they are lights and easy to keep. By doing this I could re-use my own bags whenever I am buying things outside. Normally I will not keep the reusable shopping bags in my hand bag as it is bulky but I do spare them in my car in case I need to go to the hypermart after work. Even best if go Tesco, as when I use my own bags they give me Club Card points. Hehe...

But they are some funny experiences too, example like:

1. Once I went to Sunshine Hypermart, I informed the cashier I want to re-use my own plastics bags, then every items purchased she go and taped with the 'paid' cellophane tape. Pengsan....

2. Some aunties even I told them don't want plastic bag, but they die die want to give also....maybe they pity us hard to carry...

3. Some will ask why don't want plastic bags, I would tell them my house got alots until I scare, some of them laugh, probably they having the same nightmares like me, house flooded with plastics bag. So lets us reduce it togather to the minimum.

More Info: http://www.ativsolutions.com/images/The-Dangers-of-Plastic-Bags.pdf