No more plastic bags

One of the biggest supermarket chain in Germany, REWE, informed that will not sell plastic bags anymore.

No matter what, when and how we are buying – plastic is everywhere:  sweets, food, furniture, juice, clothes, machines, etc., all is packed in plastic or contains plastic. This all, in the end, goes to environment, which needs ages to compost. A small walk on any of the seaside in the world means plastic bags in the sand…

One of the methods to help the environment to survive is trash segregation and recycling. In countries like Germany it works pretty well. Unfortunately, most of the world is throwing rubbish to one container or, what is even worse, directly on the grass.

In many supermarkets free plastic bags are not free anymore, however most of the brand shops are still packing the shopping of the customers to the plastic bags, which are not more than a free advertise for them. There is nothing better than people on the street with the big logo on the bag.

Recently, it appeared that maybe there is small light in the tunnel. REWE – one of the biggest supermarket chain in Germany decided to withdraw plastic bags from their offer. Starting from now the only one possibility for those who forgot their bags at home will be to buy cotton or paper bags. This action might reduce the use of plastic bags till 140 million bags per year!

It is a good step which others should follow, however, there is still a lot to do. Those plastic bags which all the consumers tend to use the most – free plastic bags for packing vegetables and fruits – remain…

Daria Jaranowska