They don't decompose easily.

This means each bag will still be around for a long, long time after disposal. The problem will, quite literally, not go away. 

And the more they pile up, the more harm they do. In Hong Kong we throw away, on average, an incredible 15,000,000 plastic bags a day, nearly 5.5 billion a year.

Most of Hong Kong's rubbish is buried in the ground.

Because plastic doesn't decompose easily, the bags are quickly filling up the limited space.

Even worse, the bags block the natural movement of bacteria, water and nutrition in the landfill area - harming soil and plant life.

The additives in plastic bags slowly diffuse into the environment and pollute the nearby soil and water.

Plastic bags release poisonous toxic gases when burn - especially with all the colourings and additives used to make them - so burning them would be even worse.

No, at least, not yet.  But we should all be using them less.

Of course, they're very handy but they're also threatening our environment.　

By using fewer plastic bags, you can protect the environment.

1    Re-use them as much as possible.　

2    Refuse them when shopping.　

3    Bring your own shopping bag with you.　

4    Separate plastic bags from ordinary rubbish for recycling.