Plastic bags are difficult and costly to recycle and most end up on landfill sites where they take around 300 years to photodegrade.
Toxic substances are released into the soil when plastic bags perish under sunlight and, if plastic bags are burned, they release a toxic substance into the air causing ambient air pollution.
Plastic bags break down into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the water and soil and enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them.