I once saw a photograph of a Chinese landscape where there were shredded plastic bags hanging from a leafless tree.

Apparently they are picked up by the wind and deposited everywhere. I know that, at sea, ducks and other animals pick at them and discard them. Some are not so lucky and are suffocated by bits that lodge in their throats or craws. As a child I walked the Pacific beaches at low tide and saw no plastic. Now its littered with plastic and dead animals, especially ducks and birds.

Plastic must be reduced. The best way to do that is to wash and re-use what you already have. We did without plastic bags for a long time and we can get by without them in the future. Its not exactly a basic necessity.

Are we really so far gone as a culture that we can't live without plastic bags?

Pay attention to your shopping. Many of those plastic containers can, at least be re-cycled. Advocate for re-cycling programs in your community and use them. Choose food that is not pre-packaged.