[originaltext] Plastic bags can be found almost everywhere around us. (30)Ac

Plastic bags can be found almost everywhere around us. (30)According to. the American Plastics Council, 80 percent of groceries are packed in plastic bags. The numbers are absolutely surprising. It is estimated that consumers use between 500 billion and one trillion plastic bags per year all over the world. Plastic bags can be found in landfills, stuck on trees, and floating in the ocean.
    Some experts say that plastic bags may harm the environment. It may take hundreds of years for plastic bags to break down. As they break down, they will release poisonous materials into the water and the soil. (31)Plastic bags in the ocean can choke wildlife. Endangered sea turtles eat the bags and often choke on them—probably because the bags look like its favorite food. In fact, floating plastic bags have been spotted from as far north as the Arctic Ocean to as far south as the southern end of South America. One expert even gives a prediction that within ten years, plastic bags will wash up in Antarctica!
    While some experts have argued for placing a heavy tax on plastic bags, others worry that the tax would cause people who make plastic hags to lose jobs. Some people also worry that making plastic bags more expensive would increase landfill waste because stores would start using paper bags again. Another possible solution would be to use plastic bags that can be easily broken down, a technology that has recently improved. (32)Perhaps the simplest solution for now, however, is to pack groceries in reusable bags.