Orange County, FL -  Wednesday, April 22, 2009, was Earth Day and Orange County celebrated the occasion with its Take Your Own Tote (T.Y.O.T.) campaign. Orange County citizens are encouraged to T.Y.O.T. whenever you shop to help protect our natural resources. Our planet is becoming increasingly contaminated by our unnecessary use of plastic bags. Plastic never goes away; instead it can take more than 300 years to photo-degrade, or break down into microscopic particles. These toxic particles contaminate soil and waterways and enter the food chain, ingested by unsuspecting animals. The problems surrounding single-use, plastic bag waste starts long before they photo-degrade.

An estimated 12 million barrels of oil are required to make the approximately 380 billion plastic bags used in the United States every year. That's more than 1,200 bags per US resident per year; yet only 2% to 5% of plastic bags in the US are recycled. The rest either end up in trees, streets, lakes and oceans, or in landfills. Thousands of marine animals and more than one million birds die each year as a result of plastic pollution.

Paper bags aren't the solution either. Americans consume more than 10 billion paper bags per year cutting down approximately 14 million trees, and it takes a gallon of water to make one paper bag -- 50 times the amount used for plastic bags.

"Especially during these tough economic times, we must continue to be protective stewards of our environment," says Lori Cunniff, Manager of Orange County's Environmental Protection Division. "Reducing excess waste not only saves natural resources, but saves money. By making changes in our daily lives and business practices, we can conserve natural resources, save energy and reduce our ecological footprint. So next the time you're asked 'paper or plastic,' instead smile and bring out your own reusable tote."

Using one reusable bag per week replaces between five and ten single-use bags; spread out over a year that equates to between 260 and 520 fewer bags in the environment or the landfill. Today, it is easy to find reusable totes in stores where they sell for as little as 50¢, and on-line where they come in a variety of sizes and styles. Keeping reusable bags in your car or in a place you'll see them makes it easy to change your habit. To learn more about Orange County's T.Y.O.T. campaign visit www.ocfl.net/OrangeToGreen or call 407-836-1400.