Plastics are forever! Virtually every piece of plastic ever created still exists in our environment today. Plastics enter the environment through landfills and rivers. Rivers, in turn, deposit an estimated 12 million tons of plastic into our oceans every year, forming huge plastic “garbage patches”, endangering marine life. Over time, this plastic waste breaks down into micro-particles, which are increasingly found everywhere- in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat - and even in many organs of the human body, with unknown health implications! A major area of focus of Rotary International is “supporting the environment,” which addresses the plastics problem worldwide. But what can we do in Summit County? Recycling is not the answer- single-use plastics in grocery bags cannot profitably be recycled, and end up in the landfill. Therefore, the Rotary Club of Summit County encourages you to use reusable carrier bags (and small reusable mesh produce bags) for all your shopping! To encourage compliance, our club also supports a county-wide ban on plastic bags, which is currently under consideration by some of our local legislatures. This will not solve the plastics problem, but represents a positive step in the right direction!