In the US we consume more than 500 Billion plastic bags every year. Everywhere else around the world there are programs in place to reduce the number of bags consumed but our demand continues to rise. The sad thing is that those people who believe they are doing the right thing and taking paper are actually causing more harm than good (all the facts can be seen at www.cleangreenbags.com ). Paper causes a significant amount more polution as it breaaks down and consumes a lot more enrgy to be made, but plastic takes thousands of years to degrade and kills hundreds of thousands of marine animals every year.