The only realistic solution to creating sustainability is to force people to use reusable bags.
Reusable bags are strong and durable and can handle much more weight than plastic or paper
and do not require double-bagging or recycling. I have found that plastic bags flow like water
throughout this city and create an annoyance for people due to the space taken up by them, a
hazard for nature, and an unnecessary cost to the city to clean them up from the rivers and parks.
To illustrate the importance of reusable bags, I would like to propose a large-scale public art
piece to be built.The proposed art piece would be a giant plastic bag made out of sheet metal
and filled with plants in order to show the immensity of the plastic bag in our lives as well as the
power and importance of nature and the oddity of their juxtaposition. It is my hope that seeing
this garish bag being slowly consumed by plants, the people of New York would be swayed into
realizing the importance of cutting down on plastic consumption and the importance of being
sustainable.
O
wn
B
ag
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SUSTAINABLE
Y
our
The U.S. goes through 100 billion
single-use plastic bags. This costs
retailers about $4 billion a year
Proposed Public Art Piece
“Plastic shopping bags are an enormous
problem for New York City”
-Ron Gonen,
NYC Deputy Commissioner of Sanitation for Recycling and Waste Reduction
B
ring
It’s estimated that 1 million birds and thousands
of turtles and other sea animals die each year
after ingesting discarded plastic bags
New York City pays $10 million annually to
send 100,000 tons of plastic bags that are
tossed to land fills