The average person uses 500 plastic bags every year. That's a lot of bags from stores tucked under the sink, or shoved in a drawer.

The "bag monsters" who invaded Seattle use 45,000 bags as a nest to demonstrate what all those bags amount to over a person's lifetime.

The monsters have been kicked out of San Francisco and Portland, as they travel around the country trying to get people to stop using plastic grocery bags. That might take some effort in eco-friendly Seattle too. You'll recall, voters here rejected a 20-cent fee on plastic and paper bags.

In a visual world, it is an interesting way to show people how much those plastic bags add up when we forget to bring our own canvas, reusable bags. Have you changed your shopping habits? Or are you still answering the "paper or plastic?" question with, "plastic is fine."