The Plastic Bag Caught In A Tree
A 500 Year Thing
- The problem With Plastic Bags - Facts From The Center For Biological Diversity -
BY Rob Rodrigues -
New York City - Outside my 4th floor apartment window in the borough of Manhattan, there's a piece plastic that is tangled in a tree branch. It has been there for as long as I can remember, no less than ten years. Recently it has become a symbol for me as I grow more aware of how wasteful people are, myself included. No one can be perfect all of the time but I hope "the bag outside my window" inspires awareness in everyday life.
It takes 500 (or more) years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill. When I start to think about how many plastic bags and plastic items are used once for a brief period and then tossed in a bin bound for landfill, it becomes a disturbing issue. We've got to do better in general to respect our planet, we're running out of space and resources.
Think of "the bag outside my window" going forward, try to be conscious of the life cycle of all things related to nature and how they affect today and tomorrow. Be aware of waste, it's in good taste.