Plastic bags are made from polyethylene: a thermoplastic made from crude oil.

2. Plastic bags are made from polyethylene: a thermoplastic made from crude oil. American Chemical Society, 2011

3. 110 billion plastic bags are produced in Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam every year. United States International Trade Commission 2009

4. Up to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year. The New York Times, 2007

5. That’s 2 million plastic bags every minute.

6. It takes up to 1,000 years for plastic bags to break into smaller pieces. They never fully decompose. The Ocean Conservancy, 2013

7. How many plastic bags do you use a day?

8. How many plastic bags do you use a year?

9. Where do all these plastic bags go?

10. Bags get blown around…

11. …to different parts of our lands…

13. …into our drains, flooding our streets...

14. … into our rivers…

15. … into our oceans…

16. … onto our shores.

17. Plastic bags have been found floating far away from any city. British Antarctic Survey ,2010

18. Where’s Antarctica? 10,000 kilometers from Cambodia!

19. Plastic kills animals. World Wildlife Fund Report, 2013

21. Plastic kills more than 1 million birds a year. World Wildlife Fund Report, 2005

22. Plastic can enter the food chain.

23. The Sierra Club, 2013

24. Sea animals sometimes die after trying to eat plastic bags, which they mistake for food. World Wildlife Fund Report, 2005

25. Seabirds also eat plastic. Algalita Marine Research Foundation, 2009

26. Styrofoam (Polystyrene) is a plastic. Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2007

27. Battambang, 2008

28. Do not burn plastic. The smoke is poisonous and can cause respiratory diseases, birth defects, cancer, headaches and immune system disorders. World Health Organization, 2005

29. Battambang, 2008

30. Battambang, 2008

31. Phnom Penh, 2008

32. Phnom Penh, 2008

33. Phnom Penh, 2008

34. What can we do to stop using so much plastic?

35. 1. Reduce/Avoid

37. Use a cloth bag or your backpack.

38. 2. Reuse plastic bags and containers.

39. 3. Recycle

40. How many times can these items be recycled?• Aluminum can?• Tin can?• Paper?• Cardboard?• Glass bottles and jars?• Plastic bottles and bags?• Styrofoam/polystyrene?

41. Recycle Times:• Aluminum can: Infinitely• Tin can: Infinitely• Paper: 5 – 7 times into new paper• Cardboard: 8 times• Glass bottles and jars: Infinitely• Plastic bottles and bags: Once• Styrofoam/polystyrene: Usually never United States Environmental Protection Agency 2012

42. 4. Bury • Bury your plastic trash!

43. China banned free plastic bags. This ban saves 37 million barrels of oil a year. World Watch Institute, 2013

44. Ireland started taxing plastic bags in 2002 and has now reduced plastic bag use by 90 percent. BBC News, 2002

45. Rwanda banned plastic bags in 2008 and remains plastic free. The Atlantic Post, 2013

46. Bangladesh has banned plastic bags. Aljazeera News, 2008

47. South Africa, Italy, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Eritrea, Australia, Switzerland, France, Tasmania, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Samoa, Singapore, Bhutan, Malta, Japan, Israel, Canada, western India and Mexico have also banned plastic bags. BBC News, 2013

48. Cambodia can do it too!

49. What can you do to use less plastic?

50. • Eat at restaurants/hang byes instead of getting take-away.• Use a stone or metal bowl.• Reuse and wash plastic bags and containers.• Say no to straws.• Use glasses and cups and metal water bottles instead of plastic bottles. • Don’t eat packaged food. • Tell your family and friends!