NYC recycles

Last week, New York's City Council passed a bill requiring that large stores & retail chains must collect & recycle plastic shopping bags. According to a New York Times report: "New York is by far the largest American city to enact so broad a measure to limit the environmental impact of the bags. Altogether, each year the country is estimated to use 86 billion bags, which end up blowing down city streets, or tangled in the stomachs of whales, sea turtles and birds, or buried in landfills where they enjoy free rent for 1,000 years."

Other cities like San Francisco have completely banned plastic bags. San Francisco was the first city in the US to ban non-recyclable & non-biodegradable bags made from petroleum products. Other countries like Africa and China have joined the movement also. China uses 3 billion plastic bags daily!

It is very difficult for me not to use plastic bags, and I hate that I do. But I have minimized my usage and try to bring my handy Steve Madden tote bag with me every time I go to Walmart. When I buy small items at the corner store, or 99cent store, I put them in my purse or just carry them in my hand. One time I bought a gallon of milk and when I said no bag, the counter guy looked at me like I was crazy and so did other people as I walked down my block carrying it. I know its hard to change a lifestyle you're so use to, but the smallest change helps. It starts with one small step. So if everyone can start to slowly decrease they're use of plastic bags, before you know it, they'll be gone all together. We have to take care of our Mother Earth, and don't you care about the poor little sea turtles? Recycling saves the world people!

Peace, Love, & Recyclables