Transcript Bring a Bag Week - Eco-Schools Northern Ireland

Eco-Schools
Bring a Bag Week
250 000 000!
250 Million is the number of single use carrier
bags used each year in Northern Ireland.
That’s too much!
Eco-Schools want to help you reduce the
impact single use carrier bags have on the
Environment.
Why reuse?
Reusing your carrier bags has a positive
impact on the environment.
Did you know…..
• Worldwide usage of plastic bags is estimated to be
between 500 billion – 1 trillion each year!
• That means across the world, we’re consuming bags
at a rate of 32,000 PER SECOND!
• In the UK alone each year 100,000 tonnes of plastic
bags are thrown away – that’s the same weight as
70,000 cars!
• Plastic carrier bags are not easily biodegradable. It
takes from 500 – 1,000 years for a plastic bag to
break down!
But it’s not just plastic !!
• Each year, 14 million trees across the world
are cut down to produce paper bags.
• Paper bag production adds to the effects of
air pollution, acid rain and water pollution.
• Paper bags take up a lot of room in landfill
sites - 2,000 paper bags weigh
approximately 130kg – that’s the same
weight as Hulk Hogan!
Why does this matter?
By reusing bags you are helping to:
• Divert waste from landfill
• Reduce litter
• Reduce air and water pollution
• Preserve our natural environments
A lot of our bag waste ends up in landfill, in
natural habitats and the sea.
• This can happen…
What can we do to help?
We can reduce the amount of bags that we use.
How do you think we can do this?
What alternatives are there?
Reusable Bags
We can use a bag for life
Or bring our own bag with us when shopping
How else?
Carrier Bag Levy
Most people agree they would like to reuse
bags more, but we forget.
To help us remember, a Carrier Bag Levy will
come into place from 8th April 2013. Most
single use carrier bags will cost 5p
What impact will this have?
This will encourage people to reuse old carrier
bags
It will encourage people not to take a bag when
they don’t need one
Can you think of any other positive impacts?
Homework Task
Go home and talk about what you have learned.
Conduct a carrier bag survey in your home.
Work out how much it would have cost to have all
of those bags if each bag cost 5p
Be prepared to talk about what you have
discovered in class!