Heron eats fish in plastic bag. Photo: greencaucus.org

• Did you know that the amount of petroleum used to make a plastic bag would drive a car about 126 yards. It would take only 14 plastic bags to drive one mile! Also the production of plastic bags requires petroleum and often natural gas and chemicals. Its production is an air pollutant.
• Scientists estimate that every square mile of ocean contains about 46,000 pieces of floating plastic. Researchers have found that plastic debris acts like a sponge for toxic chemicals, soaking up a million-fold greater concentration (than surrounding water) of such deadly compounds as PCBs and DDE. This plastic debris laden with chemicals becomes highly toxic poison to marine animals which frequently consume these particles.
• Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to break down, so even when an animal dies and decays after ingesting a bag, the plastic re-enters the environment, posing a continuing threat to wildlife.

For more facts go to: http://bit.ly/bag-facts.

Caption and Photo Credit

Heron eats fish in plastic bag. Photo: greencaucus.org