Now in the season of insane holiday shopping, it's a good time to take a step back and consider exactly how many plastic bags you're accumulating. Plastic bags are a big problem for the environmental worldwide for a glut of reasons.

Plastic bag facts:

• # of plastic bags used per person each week: 16
• # of plastic bags Americans throw away every year: 100 billion
• # of plastic bags used worldwide annually: 500 billion - 1 trillion
• # of years these mountains of plastic can last: 1,000

So, what can the ordinary consumer do? While recycling plastic bags is a step in the right direction, it's even better to not use them in the first place. So while doing your shopping, you should consider using/buying reusable bags for the people in your life. They come in all shapes and sizes, colors and styles and are an easy way to reduce your use (check out Reusable Bags for ideas).

Source: www.article99.com