About Our Project
Disposable (or one use) plastic bags seem to be a commonly used item in the everyday household in America. We would like to change that. Many other countries have strict laws against plastic bag use. Other US states (and many cities) have been working towards banning plastic bags in their areas. California was the first state in the US to do so. Eventually, we would like to do the same in Delaware. We are actively working in collaboration with a green team at a local church here in Lewes. They previously worked to try and pass legislation for the entire state of Delaware and were unsuccessful. We are now trying to work towards legislative change in the city of Lewes in hopes that it will have a snowball effect towards the rest of the state.
When these bags are not properly disposed of (which can be a difficult task itself), they clutter up our streets, trees, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Not only is this aesthetically displeasing, it also negatively affects surrounding wildlife that may mistake the bag as food and consume it, or become entangled. What is even worse is that when wildlife such as marine mammals and seabirds die from eating plastic bags, the plastic does not decay, causing it to be ingested by something else, repeating the deadly cycle.
Plastic bag use contributes to a large ecological footprint. Every year, the US uses 12 million barrels of petroleum oil to make plastic bags. It only takes about 14 plastic bags for the equivalent of the gas required to drive one mile. Additionally, twenty four gallons of water are required to make one pound of plastic, which is equal to about 67 plastic bags. To put things into perspective, if 900,000 people, which is not even the entire population in the state of DE, eliminated their plastic bag use for one year, 180 million gallons of water would be saved. Each high quality reusable bag has the potential to eliminate on average 1,000 plastic bags over its lifetime of use.
When these bags are not properly disposed of (which can be a difficult task itself), they clutter up our streets, trees, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Not only is this aesthetically displeasing, it also negatively affects surrounding wildlife that may mistake the bag as food and consume it, or become entangled. What is even worse is that when wildlife such as marine mammals and seabirds die from eating plastic bags, the plastic does not decay, causing it to be ingested by something else, repeating the deadly cycle.
Plastic bag use contributes to a large ecological footprint. Every year, the US uses 12 million barrels of petroleum oil to make plastic bags. It only takes about 14 plastic bags for the equivalent of the gas required to drive one mile. Additionally, twenty four gallons of water are required to make one pound of plastic, which is equal to about 67 plastic bags. To put things into perspective, if 900,000 people, which is not even the entire population in the state of DE, eliminated their plastic bag use for one year, 180 million gallons of water would be saved. Each high quality reusable bag has the potential to eliminate on average 1,000 plastic bags over its lifetime of use.
Lewes Specific Bags
As far as designing a Lewes-specific bag, these are some thoughts we’ve had so far. The material of the bag is important to consumers. We need the bags to be sturdy material that won’t tear, but at the same time lightweight for ease of carrying. Ideally, the bag shouldn’t be too large so that consumers can’t overfill the bag. One major complaint about reusable bags is that they’re perceived as dirty. We would love to see an antimicrobial or washable material to combat this problem. We’ve also tossed around the idea of having a mesh bottom that could make the reusable bag available for beach use. The sand could drain out of the mesh while still holding larger objects in the bag.
We’ve considered some iconic Lewes-specific images that we might like to include on the bag. Lewes’s flag, pronunciation, or “the first town in the first state” come to mind; as well as the UD wind turbine, horseshoe crabs, the Lewes-Cape May ferry, or Joe Biden as potential options. If we could have an option to personalize the bags to each seller’s business, we think these would hold a higher connection to the citizens of Lewes.
As far as designing a Lewes-specific bag, these are some thoughts we’ve had so far. The material of the bag is important to consumers. We need the bags to be sturdy material that won’t tear, but at the same time lightweight for ease of carrying. Ideally, the bag shouldn’t be too large so that consumers can’t overfill the bag. One major complaint about reusable bags is that they’re perceived as dirty. We would love to see an antimicrobial or washable material to combat this problem. We’ve also tossed around the idea of having a mesh bottom that could make the reusable bag available for beach use. The sand could drain out of the mesh while still holding larger objects in the bag.
We’ve considered some iconic Lewes-specific images that we might like to include on the bag. Lewes’s flag, pronunciation, or “the first town in the first state” come to mind; as well as the UD wind turbine, horseshoe crabs, the Lewes-Cape May ferry, or Joe Biden as potential options. If we could have an option to personalize the bags to each seller’s business, we think these would hold a higher connection to the citizens of Lewes.
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