It can seem hard to escape plastic in our modern lives. Plastic bags are everywhere and trolleys full of them leave the grocery store every minute. If you are still using single-use plastic bags, it is high time to consider taking a more environmentally friendly route.

Plastic bags may seem light and inoffensive but they have a surprisingly large environmental footprint. Approximately 8 percent of the world’s total oil production is used to make plastic and 12 million barrels of oil are used to manufacture the 30 billion plastic bags consumed in the United States each year. Furthermore, plastic bags use fossil fuels as they are shipped around the country or the world.