Are People Still Talking About This?

Hi, this is Leslie Harris. I had a concerning conversation the other day.

I went into a store that is part of a national chain. I was carrying three small items, and the cashier put my items into a bag. I said, “Oh I don’t need a bag.” He said, “Oh okay,”took my items out, wadded the bag up and threw it into the garbage!

I said, “No! You should reuse that bag!”

He looked a bit puzzled and said, “Is that like recycling? I never really learned much about that.”

So I stood for a few minutes, telling him about how plastic is really bad for our environment, and when you throw it in the garbage at leaches chemicals into our soil.

Now this young man was well spoken, and he really listened to what I had to say. He then said, “Oh I guess that’s why certain grocery stores never gave out plastic bags.”

I was really perplexed. How did this young man not know about Reduce/Reuse/Recycle?

Remember, Reduce comes first. Try not to use a bag or a paper towel, or whatever it is.

Next comes Reuse. If you must use a bag, bottle, utensil or other, make it a reusable one. Most shops sell these for a reasonable price.

If you must use a plastic bag or bottle or other, be sure to Recycle it.

And always try to reduce or eliminate the amount of plastic used.

Let’s all work together to keep our Earth beautiful!