No more paper or plastic – 5 Great DIY ideas for Reusable Shopping Bags

So you are going green on a budget, or just want a bag that makes more of a statement than the branded shopping bag from your local store? Reusable shopping bags are an eco-friendly solution to a growing waste problem. Each year, 38 billion plastic bags are thrown away in the US alone. Only a tiny percentage of these bags are recycled – the rest:

  • Make their way to the ocean and kill thousands of marine creatures each year.
  • Some float through the air, endangering birds and littering the streets.
  • Others sit in landfills and decompose, contaminating the water, soil, and food supply with harmful micro-toxins.
It costs more to recycle a plastic bag than it does to make a new one.  Photo by TimParkinson
It costs more to recycle a plastic bag than it does to make a new one. Photo by TimParkinson

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