Facts About Plastic Bags

Here are some interesting facts about plastic bags:

• About 89 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are used each year in the U.S.
• In 2007, more than 830 million pounds of plastic bags and film were recycled, a 27‐percent increase from 2005.
• According to the EPA, about 12 percent of plastic bags and wraps were recycled in 2007.
• During production, plastic bags generate 50 percent less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, require 70 percent less energy and produce 80 percent less waste than paper alternatives.
• Plastic bag production uses less than 4 percent of the water needed to make alternatives and generate 80 percent less waste than its alternatives due to its lightweight.
• Small plastic bags made up about 9 percent of the debris found along various U.S. coasts in a five‐year study.
• In the U.S., almost 80 percent of polyethylene, the type of plastic used to make plastic bags, is produced from natural gas. This includes feedstock, process and transportation energy.
• Much of the energy to make plastic bags is embodied in the bag itself, and since plastic bags are fully recyclable, that energy is available for new products such as composite lumber and decking.
• Surveys routinely show that more than ninety percent of consumers reuse their plastic bags for things like wastebasket liners, lunch totes and pet pick‐up.