Did you know that Americans use 100 billion plastic bags over the course of one year? If this number seems startling, think about all your quick late-night Target runs when the cashier puts your snacks in a plastic bag, or your weekly Hy-Vee trips when every few items get their own individual bag. According to Waste Management, only one percent of plastic bags are returned for recycling.
Photo by Kelsa Katzfey ’21
Because of this issue of excess plastic bags, a student-led campaign called The Persuasion Project: Bag the Bag from Dr. Kelly Herold’s Persuasion and Advocacy course is taking on this environmental problem and allowing Winona State University students to get involved. Bag the Bag’s goal is to eliminate plastic from the WSU bookstore as well as the entire campus.
Personally, I am so proud to be a part of this event and campaign. I myself am guilty of not using reusable bags, but this campus-wide project has shown me how important it is and how much damage even one bag can do to the environment.
Our goal is to bring awareness to the issue of excess plastic bags and make it easier to properly recycle them. I hope in the future reusable bags are the first choice for students at WSU!
On Friday, April 5, join the Bag the Bag team at the Gazebo from 11am – 1pm to have your single-use plastic bags properly recycled. Need an incentive? Earn yourself a free sticker by bringing in five or more single-use plastic bags.
Become a part of changing the world one plastic bag at a time by following the event’s Facebook page at Bag the Bag WSU.
– Maddie Warder ’21
