O.C. shoppers wait for a reusable bag.

The City of Mission Viejo wants you to grab and use an alternative – like reusable shopping bags – made from canvas, mesh, or cotton -- for all of your shopping endeavors instead of using the plastic type – at least for one day on Dec. 17.

In an effort to show its commitment to urban sustainability, the City of Mission Viejo is asking residents to disregard their disposable bags for reusable versions for 24 hours during its “Third Annual A Day Without A Bag.” The event is being coordinated by Heal The Bay.

Businesses and residents throughout Orange County are also encouraged to participate in this event each year. The goal is to spread consumer awareness about how personal choices can positively impact the environment by asking holiday shoppers and retailers, especially during this busy shopping season, to use reusable bags in place of single-use plastic bags.

Did you know according to the Web site: http://www.cawrecycles.org/living_green/shopping_list/bags/bag_facts:

• If Californians cut their plastic bag waste in half, it would save more than 2,000 barrels of oil a day( more than 800,000 barrels a year) and keep 73,000 tons of rubbish out of our landfills
• Californians throw away 294,000,000 pounds of plastic bags every year, or 147,000 tons - enough waste to circle the planet more than 250 times;
• In the State of California, 600 plastic bags are thrown away every second
• Some estimate a plastic bag may take 1,000 years to decompose. That means a bag thrown away during the crusades, the birth of Constantine, or at the signing of the Magna Carta would just be finishing its decomposition now.

Mission Viejo is well known for being a pioneer in doing its part to save the environment, and it is making it convenient for residents to stop using their single-use bags by offering them up to five reusable bags (while supplies last) at City Hall, 200 Civic Center. Local grocery stores are also involved in the annual event and have re-usable bags for use for a nominal fee.
For more information about A Day Without A Bag, visit www.cityofmissionviejo.org or call City Hall at 949.470.3000.