By: Janet Wyatt

     Around the world this year people will use and discard more than 5 trillion plastic bags.  A significant amount of these bags end up as litter in our ecosystems, especially oceans. Scientists estimate that every square mile of ocean contains about 46,000 pieces of floating plastic. This debris becomes highly toxic to marine animals.  

     The average American family takes home almost 1,500 plastic shopping bags a year.  Americans reportedly throw away 100 billion plastic grocery bags annually.  Plastic bags were introduced into super markets in 1977.  Many countries have more recently banned plastic bags but, these bans are the exception.

    A company in the Philippines called Avani has created an environmentally friendly solution.  A team at Avani realized that most biodegradable bags only broke down into small bits, still harmful to animals and contaminating the water. Scientists at Avani worked to construct a truly sustainable product using the root of a native plant called cassava and mixing it with vegetable oil.

    These bags are legitimately biodegradable, dissolving in warm water and safe for animals to eat.  So, if a bag makes it to the water, a fish or turtle could munch on it.

    Hopefully, these environmentally friendly bags will enter our marketplace soon.  In the meantime, we have a responsibility to be mindful of using plastic bags and putting them into the proper place, the recycle bin at the grocery store.  I encourage you to use reusable bags instead, so the demand for making plastic bags decreases.  After all, plastic bags are another product made with oil.  After decades of dependency on oil products it is hard to break free of them. I feel it is a small mindful step in the right direction to do so.