Most stores now use plastic bags to put purchases in for the customer. The customer then ends up with an ever growing collection of different store's plastic bags. Are you aware that in many cities these bags can be recycled just like aluminum cans? Recycling polythene bags is not as cost effective as recycling aluminum cans. In fact, it may still be a losing deal to recycle a ton of these bags. However, some states and cities are making it mandatory to recycle these bags, even though it is at present a cost producing project and not a profitable project.
There are ample reasons to recycle the bags, as they do not naturally recycle when put into a dump. The polythene bags treatment costs more than the recovered product is worth. Since these bags do not naturally break down, there has to be a man made process to recycle these plastic bags. Since the bags when put into a landfill are never going to break down, they are destined to be a part of the landfill forever. This is not an environmentally healthy situation. Since the bags are not biodegradable, the bags do not become part of a living environment. The enormity of the number of these bags that show up in the trash each week is enough to ruin a landfill over time.
Science will come up with an answer to recycling these bags via a recycling service or a bag recycling company that can do something that is profit making from recycling these bags. When this happens, the public will recycle the bags just as aluminum cans are now recycled, as there is a profit in doing this. The other idea is to come up with a new bag that is environmentally friendly. Some stores are part of a recycling program that the store's customers can take advantage of. The customer does not get any money for the bags, but they are not put into the trash. This is part of being a good citizen and solving a current problem. There is no monetary reward for doing this, but it does help with getting rid of this future danger.
There are ample reasons to worry about how these non-perishable bags may affect our future environment. We do not know the long term effect of having these bags in our earth for long periods of time. The answer is to permanently get rid of them as we use them from the store.
As of now, there is not a good program like there is for cans, but it will come. In the meantime, it is worthwhile to give them back to participating stores for recycling the bags. There are few other answers at this time that are economically reasonable. When this does happen, the problem will be immediately resolved. Until then, try to find a way to keep them out of the trash and therefore out of the landfills where they end up.