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Did you BYOB the last time you went shopping? This is a question everyone ought to ask themselves. We are halfway through 2010 and there has never been a more crucial time to bring your own green shopping bags. When you BYOB, instead of using single-use plastic or paper disposable bags, you instantaneously become a part of the solution to the massive urban waste problem linked with disposable shopping bag waste. As of July 1st 2010, it is estimated that over 240 billion plastic bags have been consumed in 2010 alone. Whats even more alarming is the impact that plastic and paper single-use bags are continuing to have on the ecosystem. The intent of this article is to look at the latest reports regarding large-scale efforts to reduce the use of plastic and paper throw-away bags along with the related litter, and discuss what alternatives are available to us individual consumers in order to know for sure we are a part of the solution to this problem.

The excellent news is that BYOB momentum is growing quickly in this year. If you havent heard yet, the California legislature has written a bill; AB 1998 (to be voted on by the Senate in August), which would outlaw single-use bags sold in supermarkets, drugstores, convenience, and liquor stores and take full effect around 2013. Even The Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, said that he would sign the bill if it makes it to his desk. This would be a huge win for all friends of the natural environment to have the most populated state, in the third biggest nation on the earth, to put a ban on single-use plastic bags. Bearing in mind that China first cracked down on plastic bags in 2008 and Ireland legislative efforts to reduce plastic bag consumption began in 2002, it is so terrific to hear that California lawmakers have presented this bill to the table.

In America, metropolitan areas from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Washington DC have approved or enacted laws that either tax customers for the utilization of plastic bags or ban them overall, but California would be the first American state to take action if this bill were to be approved. Believe it or not, even lawmakers from the state of Texas have written possible legislation that would insert a seven-cent tax for each throw-away bag used. It is so exciting that there is a prospect that both Texas and California might soon have laws and regulations in place to fight the plastic bag craze. Hard work by persons and governments to shrink large-scale use of single-use grocery bags is a wonderful way to encourage people and spread the word about the overwhelmingly positive benefits of ecologically friendly reusable shopping bags.

Single-use plastic bags might take up to one thousand years to biodegrade fully, and prior to that it just breaks down in to smaller and smaller poisonous pieces that wind up inside our food, water, and soil. Biodegradable bags, are a wonderful option, once discarded in landfill sites, the exposure to sunlight, oxygen, and high temperature will convert these bags into water, carbon dioxide, mineral salt and biomass. Akin to a fallen leaf, it will vanish in time plus leave Zero Toxic Residue in the soil. Plastic bags wind up in our landfills as well as regularly get tangled and bring about permanent damage in waste management equipment. Tens of millions if not billions of further bags end up as urban litter and frequently find their way in to creeks, large bodies of water, streams, in addition to the ocean. Creatures, especially marine animals, get entangled in single-use plastic bags, and/or swallow them and regularly suffocate or starve to death.

So the resolution brings us back to BYOB, which is extremely easy. Just remember to use environmentally friendly reusable grocery bags or recycled grocery bags, or reuse an older bag, period. Be sure to keep spare reusable bags in your vehicle or in your backpack, because you will want to make sure they are accessible when you require them. Also remember to sanitize your bags after use, particularly after transporting uncooked foods and/or cleaning supplies. You may also present them to your friends and family as a reminder to BYOB. Of course, continuously remember to recycle when the chance presents itself, recycling is always a win-win situation for the natural world. Adopting a BYOB habit in our individual lives and organizations is in truth the best way to guarantee we are truly part of the resolution rather than the problem. Right now is the time to go out and lead by example.

Albert Jefferson is an accomplished writer discussing eco and sustainability issues and spreading the word to consumers and companies to utilize eco friendly wholesale recycled bags to promote both their brand and awareness for the environment. We can help this planet with every bag we reuse.