Follow Poly the Bag’s Journey Through the Recycling Process : VIDEO: Educational Animation on Plastic Bags and Recycling from VERDE

This Halloween Virginia based recycling rewards scheme, VERDE, has released a video documenting the journey of Poly, a plastic bag, through the recycling process.

The animation tracks Poly, a polyethylene (plastic) bag in search of a home, educating viewers about the haunted and hazardous life cycle of a plastic bag.

VERDE said that it created the video as part of its Green Media, a section of the company that educates residents on behalf of their clients. According to the company, most people believe that plastic bags belong in the recycle bin, but they don’t... and they don’t belong in the trash either.

After watching Poly’s journey, the hope is that the target audience will understand the importance of taking plastic bags back to the grocery store for recycling, or better yet, upgrading to a reusable bag.

Way back in 2001, United States Environmental Protection Agency data showed in the region of between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags being consumed worldwide each year.

Some make it to the landfill, but others make their way into the sea via storm drains and rivers or into the mouths of innocent animals. And even if you cannot see the harm that a plastic bag is causing, over time they break down into smaller, more toxic petro-polymers that end up in our food chain.

VERDE added that polyethylene not only contributes to the death of animals and contamination of our soil, but it also contributes to our foreign oil dependency. If we stopped using crude oil to make plastic bags, the U.S. alone could save 12 billion barrels of oil a year.

“The future of recycling lies on every shoulder. One way to support that future is to stop using plastic bags,” said the company.

The video takes an unexpected turn. After Poly makes it back “home” to the grocery store most viewers will expect him to be happy. But he can’t be, knowing that he will take the same ghostly journey over and over with the fear of not making it back and being properly recycled.

VERDE concluded by saying that it understands the hazard plastics bags are to the recycling process and machinery, and that videos like this can help reduce contaminants. Watch it for yourself below.

https://youtu.be/DoDBpFjgRmw

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