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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Iowa chapter.

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag? Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again? Well, you can if you become a reusable bag! 

Only one percent of plastic bags are recycled, and the rest usually end up floating in landfills, the ocean and other places. 

Non-recycled plastic bags serve as dangers to the environment because animals can accidently ingest plastic bags and die, and where would we be without our cute and furry friends? They are also made from petroleum products, mostly oil. 

Even paper bags are harmful to the environment if not disposed of properly because they’re made from trees, and production of paper bags generates 70 percent more air and 50 times more water pollutants than the production of plastic bags. 

While the paper bags are degradable, it doesn’t completely breakdown, so pieces of paper bury soil making it difficult for air and sunlight to reach the soil. Plastic is not biodegradable and doesn’t decompose over time, and the plastic bags that end up as litter at the end of each year, tied end to end, can circle the Earth 63 times. 

The way to protect the environment and reduce space in your home from all the paper bags or plastic bags you have that keep growing is using reusable bags. Invest in a high-quality reusable bag or grocery crate that you can take with you. They make them fashionable. Brands like Kate Spade and Lilly Pulitzer make high-quality bags that you can use. Almost every grocery store sells reusable bags, and when you use them, especially at Hy-Vee, you get five cents off each bag you use! Those can add up and pretty much pay back your bag you have. 

You don’t have to use them for groceries, but if you’re packing things to bring to a picnic, potluck, party or groceries your family gave you to bring back to your dorm/apartment, they’re pretty sweet to have. 

They come in many different shapes and sizes and can hold a lot. The ones I use can store about two-three bags worth of groceries. 

Here are some you should definitely check out, and remember to wash them out because things can spill sometimes. 

 

However if you do come across a plastic or paper bag, properly dispose of it in the correct way, so we can save our environment!

HCXO

Amy is currently a senior at the University of Iowa majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication, minor in political science with certificates in Event Planning and Entrepreneurial Management and HC UIowa's Trouble Maker. Her dream job is to work in Public Relations or Event Planning and plans to also become a lawyer, like the 9 years old Amy planned. Whenever she's not writing articles, she's usually online shopping, binging on Netflix, or laughing at her own jokes. Midwestern Prep with the worst luck in the world, you can keep track of her worst case scenarios on Twitter.
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