Plastic bags have been used for decades, and they’re still being used today. They’re convenient, and maybe that’s what makes them the more preferable option. Instead of having to remember to bring your own reusable bags from home, you can just grab one as you exit the store. However, plastic bags can’t be re-absorbed by the Earth, and they’re usually just used one time. This means billions of non-biodegradable plastic bags are used once and then simply thrown out. Everyone should carry reusable bags with them to help save the planet.

Every year, in the United States alone, over 100 billion plastic bags are thrown out after just one use. That much plastic takes around 12 million barrels of oil to produce. All of that plastic is either burned into the air, or buried into the ground, neither of which is good for the environment. In fact, not all of the plastic even makes it there. A lot of it winds up littering the ground, or floating in the ocean. Have you even heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? It’s literally an island composed of nothing but garbage).

Just as well, burning plastic bags releases toxic gases into the air, polluting the atmosphere. All that does is make it so that the plastic isn’t littering the ground, but surrounding you, watching your every move, waiting to infiltrate your lungs and give you cancer or something. Burying the garbage isn’t any better, because plastic can take millions of years to decompose, it doesn’t want to go back into the earth.

Now you may be wondering, “What can I do to help?” The most beneficial thing that you can do is to simply bring your own bags when you go shopping. Not too hard, right? Put some reusable, fabric bags in your purse, or have a few in the trunk of your car, that way you’re always prepared in case you need to run for some groceries.

The second most important thing is to spread the word. By asking friends and family members to carry some reusable bags with them, you save that many more plastic bags from being wasted. Not only will this be good for the planet, but it will be so much more comfortable to avoid having the handles of plastic bags digging into the palms of your hands, because no one likes that. You’ll also be looking pretty stylish carrying your personal shopping bag around, one that you can use again and again.

Some people may say that it takes too much thought beforehand to remember to bring your reusable bags, or, maybe that plastic bags aren’t harmful to the environment. I mean, they do decompose eventually, so what’s the big deal? These people are kind of idiots. Yes, it is true that remembering to bring your own bags shopping takes a little bit of planning ahead, but once you have them in your car, you don’t have to do much remembering. Really, they’re right in your car. They’re just in the backseat, not that far away. Also, if you’re really that worried about forgetting, just remember that you’ll get in the habit soon enough. Furthermore, plastic bags are indeed very harmful to the environment, especially considering we, the human race, go through so many plastic bags every single year. They just don’t decompose fast enough for us to continue this process of one-time-use.

Though the invention of plastic bags may have been helpful, they also created a pretty massive problem for the environment. So many have been mass-produced, only to be thrown out shortly after the first use. Whether their buried, burned, or tossed into the water none of the options are good. That’s why it’s so important to bring your own bags when you go shopping, we’ll be one step closer to saving the planet.