It's important that these bags be recycled because there are just so many of them in circulation. The average bag is used for 12 minutes and then discarded.

We need to be aware of what we are doing to the earth and our environment and when neccessary we need to be able to make big changes. Recycling is one solution and bringing your own reusable bags is another.

I hold this issue close to my heart. As a young girl I saw the plastic bags come into the markets. In fact in 1984 my sister did an experiment at our home to see if these plastic bags were indeed degradable. She pinned one to our outdoor clothes line where it remained in the elements for several years without showing any sign of biodegradability. The only thing we noticed after a year was that the printing had faded, but no other changes.

I began a small scale plastic bag recycling program in my community a couple of years ago. I use these "single use" shopping bags and upcycle them into washable and reusable totes purses and backpacks.

I am now recycling for 16 families and together we have kept over 3500 plastic bags out of our waste stream or worse yet our oceans.

When we all do our small part we really can change the big picture.

Sincerely,
Christi Spangler
Recycle Crafter
http://www.FatBottomBags.com