Have you seen a BAG BIRD Lately?
"BAG BIRDs" are plastic bags, typically those used by merchants to hold items.
If highway workers or volunteers do not pick up plastic bags and other litter, the bags are moved by air and water and can become a hazard to wildlife. Plastic bags are frequently used and their disposal is often not properly handled. They may become loose and get caught in trees, underbrush, storm drains, and find a home under your car. The forested area at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Oyster Point Road is a perfect example! Next time you exit Jefferson Lab northbound on Jefferson Ave., take a look to the east.
Plastics help make up the bulk of the non-organic portion of the municipal waste stream and comprise about 6-percent of all litter.* They never totally biodegrade in the environment because their content is not digestible by microorganisms. Plastic litter, like bags, 6-pack rings, discarded fishing lines, and packing bands, can be an eyesore; and, more importantly, it does present a hazard to wildlife - killing or injuring animals through entanglement or by them ingesting plastic that was mistaken for food.
Don't let that BAG BIRD be an eyesore or pose a hazard to your community's wildlife. How can you help? When you make a purchase that may require the use of a plastic bag:
- Decline use of a bag if purchasing only 1 or 2 small items
- Make use of reusable canvas (or mesh) bags such as those sold by the Jefferson Lab Activities Group
- Reuse plastic bags that you already have
- Use paper bags
You can recycle your plastic bags, including those that your morning paper come in, at most area grocery stores, including Food Lion and Farm Fresh. Simply remove all contents, including receipts, and drop them off the next time you go shopping. These stores will accept your used bags, bail them, and either send them to their home office for recycling or to a local recycle center.
*For more information on plastics, visit http://www.epa.gov/seahome/housewaste/house/plastic.htm