On a recent morning walk commute, I noticed a plastic bag littering the sidewalk. Odd, I thought, since the sale of single-use plastic bags was banned in Connecticut in July 2021, two years ago.

Shortly after, I counted more, making for a total of five plastic bags in a 0.2 mile stretch. These were all on the ground, either outside of a section of park that’s bordered by thick, overgrown brush, or on the property of 25 Sigourney, the building once occupied by State of Connecticut offices, now owned by Spartan Towers, LLC (owner’s address is Michigan).

Once you start to notice some litter, you begin seeing it everywhere. I didn’t try to count all the plastic potato chip bags or other trash, though I paused to once again photograph the syringes atop the Sigourney Street bridge’s sidewalk that have been there for multiple weeks – at least the ones that didn’t wash away in the recent heavy rains – despite having reported these hazardous objects to Hartford 311 several times in the app and then through social media.

Although it is definitely less common for me to see plastic bags now than a few years ago, it actually is not weird that I would still see them. Plastic does not biodegrade. That’s what is obscene about single-use plastics. Something that is used by most for a very short time — mere minutes — stays here forever without becoming something useful. Plastic breaks apart. When an apple breaks down, it adds nourishment to the soil. Plastic adds toxins. Microplastics have been found in human breast milk, in human feces, in human blood. And in case anyone missed this day of science class, plastics are made from petrochemicals — fossil fuels.  

If you think back to the time leading up to the single-use plastic bag ban, and in the few weeks of transition once it went into effect, you may recall some folks freaking out about how they could function without these bags. What I suggested at the time holds true, though a bit less so, today: take a walk and collect the loose plastic bags blowing around, tangled in trees, stuck in ponds. Use those.

We can dispose better of the resources we exploit, or we can pause and reconsider our rates of consumption.


Climate Possibilities is a new series about climate mitigation, along with resilience, resistance, and restoration. It’s about human habitat preservation. It’s about loving nature and planet Earth, and demanding the kind of change that gives future generations the opportunity for vibrant lives. Doomers will be eaten alive, figuratively. All photographs are taken in Hartford, Connecticut unless stated otherwise.