Bag Monster Invades Market Square

The "Bag Monster" is riding across country on a three-wheeled bike to increase support for banning plastic bags, and he stopped in Pittsburgh Friday.

Activist Andy Keller, aka Bag Monster, set up a 45,000 plastic bag installation at Market Square. The 45,000 bag display, he said, represents how many plastics bags a typical individual uses during their lifetime.

Keller’s Bag Monster costume is made out of 500 plastic bags, the amount he said one person uses in a single year.

Keller held a rally in San Francisco Aug. 12 with supporters of AB 1998, which is set to be voted on later this month. If the legislation passes, California would be become the first state in the country to ban plastic bags.

Keller’s route includes 15 cities that are considering implementing bag ban legislation. Major destinations include Portland, Seattle, Boise, Salt Lake City, Telluride, Denver, Albuquerque, Austin, Dallas, Tulsa, St. Louis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York.

“My goal during this journey is to raise awareness of the tremendous impact that plastic bags have on the environment,” said Keller.

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