To the Editor:

This letter is a follow-up to the February 8 letter from Carole Hart. I wholeheartedly agree and support Carole's view on the use of plastic bags and at a minimum we all must reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Several studies have been published on the topic of the harmful effects of single-use plastic bags on the environment. While most of us think that as responsible citizens we recycle our plastic properly, a little research would tell us otherwise. A recent study I read suggests that less than ten percent of the plastic bags we use are recycled. So, imagine where the other 90 percent end up.

We have all seen at some point evidence of plastic taking over the nature around us - from ending up on tree branches, littering our sidewalks to polluting our oceans, plastics are everywhere. Did you know that plastics account for 80 percent of ocean pollution? And it is not too far from here that I got to witness during an evening walk through the Bridgeport beach, seagulls nibbling on plastics, possibly mistaking it for food.

What takes us five minutes to go from our checkout counter to our car, and probably another five minutes to transport from our driveway to our house, takes about 500 years to break down. Most plastics do not decompose and are not biodegradable. In addition, plastics are also attributed to causing numerous health issues once they enter our water streams and soil, contaminating our food and water.

To play my part, I have started to make small changes in my life - mostly by being aware and conscious when I use plastic bags. I bring my own reusable bags when shopping. I also keep cardboard boxes in my car at all times. So, in the event I forget to bring my own bag, I shop Costco style. I put everything back into the cart, and when I get to my car, arrange them in my cardboard boxes to help with my transport. It may sound hard, but when you do it twice, it becomes a habit. I can vouch that in just less than a year, my plastic use has gone down by a good 90 percent. I reuse and recycle the ten percent I still use.

I realize that most of what we use today have some amount of plastic in them, and it is probably not possible to ban plastic in its entirety, but I do think, as individuals, we all can take little actions to reduce the use of unnecessary plastic. It is after all our responsibility to leave the planet behind in at least the same condition as we inherited it, if not better, for our future generations and all the other living species. Here is to hoping for a more harmonious, sustainable lifestyle.

Bindu Subramanian

Bear Hills Road, Newtown         March 7, 2018