Eco Bag World

Lawmakers Propose Plastic Grocery Bag Tax

ecobagworld — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:16:49 +0000

If some state lawmakers get their way, it won’t be paper or plastic anymore at the grocery store. A bill now before the state Labor and Commerce Committee calls for a temporary tax and eventually an outright ban on plastic grocery bags.

If Senate Bill 397 passes, customers who use plastic bags for their groceries will have to pay an additional 10 cents per bag at the checkout stand starting in October.

The idea behind the tax is to discourage customers from using non-biodegradable bags now piling up in landfills. The proposed measure would also establish a clean-up fund to pay for the proper disposal of the bags still being used.

But even the eco-friendly consumers we spoke with would prefer an outright ban over an added tax, “I think they ought to just stop making them and use paper. Actually, I think the canvas bags are the best way to go.”

And SB397 actually does propose an eventual ban on these plastic bags as of July of 2010. County health inspectors would be charged with enforcing that ban at an estimated cost to taxpayers of about $1.5 million every two years.

The grocery industry also opposes the proposal saying it poses an unnecessary economic burden.

Most grocery stores already offer several eco-friendly options, including plastic bag recycling, although many shoppers may not know that. And for every plastic bag a shopper brings back to the checkout stand in good condition to reuse, Smith’s will give five Reward Points.

Research shows other states and countries that imposed plastic bag taxes saw a significant drop in their use. For example, Ireland adopted a 33-percent tax in 2002 and a year later, usage of plastic bags had supposedly dropped 90-percent.

Green is new black at expo

ecobagworld — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:36:27 +0000

Environmentally conscious consumers grabbed their eco-friendly bags and headed to Hynes Convention Center, where Down:2:Earth held its second annual expo of “green” products this weekend.

More than 70 companies that passed Down:2:Earth’s criteria for minimal environmental impact sold products to hundreds of attendees Friday to Sunday ranging from environmentally friendly windowpanes to flower arrangements.

The expo was an educational event for consumers, focusing on green businesses that can help better the environment, Down:2:Earth project manager Julie Roper said. Roper said for students to be more “green” they need to be conscious about what they are buying.

“We support businesses that we want to be successful in the future so they can further economic, social and environmental sustainability,” Roper said.

Shannon Glasheen graduated from the School of Fashion Design on Newbury, but taught herself how to use recycled materials to make new pieces of clothing, she said. Now, she has her own design company, Shannon Glasheen Designs and had advice for BU students cleaning out their closets at the end of the semester. more…

Many Plans to Curtail Use of Plastic Bags, but Not Much Action

ecobagworld — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:11:07 +0000

SEATTLE — Last summer, city officials here became the first in the nation to approve a fee on paper and plastic shopping bags in many retail stores. The 20-cent charge was intended to reduce pollution by encouraging reusable bags.

Enlarge This Image

Scott Eklund/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, via Associated Press

Voters in Seattle will decide in August whether to accept a 20-cent fee on plastic and paper bags, like these carried by Shannon Blackley, in many retail stores.

But a petition drive financed by the plastic-bag industry delayed the plan. Now a far broader segment of Seattle’s bag carriers — its voters — will decide the matter in an election in August.

Even in a city that likes to be environmentally conscious, the outcome is uncertain.

“You have to be really tone-deaf to what’s going on to think that the economic climate is not going to affect people,” said Rob Gala, a legislative aide to the city councilman who first sponsored the bill for the 20-cent fee.

Regarded by some as a symbol of consumer culture wastefulness, plastic bags have been blamed for street litter, ocean pollution and carbon emissions produced by manufacturing and shipping them… .more

Think Outside the Recycling Bin

ecobagworld — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:38:42 +0000

DEP offers eco-friendly tips for reducing, reusing and recycling non-traditional items at home and in the office~

As the winter season comes to an end and Floridians begin to think about spring cleaning, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, or DEP, encourages residents to apply the 3 R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle –and discover ways to recycle items that may not normally be considered recycle-friendly.

“We all understand the importance of recycling,” said Mary Jean Yon, Director of DEP’s Division of Waste Management. “Reducing waste can also help keep our landfills from filling up. Most people think of recycling newspapers, cans and bottles, but your closets, desks and drawers are filled with items that can also be recycled.”

Tips and resources for practicing the 3 R’s while de-cluttering your home or office:

Athletic shoes - Local running clubs often collect athletic shoes for charitable causes such as homeless shelters and women’s refuge houses. One World Running club will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in need in locations such as Africa, Latin America and Haiti (http://www.oneworldrunning.com). Soles4Souls collects gently worn shoes of all kinds and donates them to those in need (www.soles4souls.org). Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program turns old shoes into playground and athletic flooring (http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/).

- Sports equipment -- Resell or trade used sports equipment. Look up “used sporting equipment” in the yellow pages or online.

- Dry cleaning hangers and plastic bags - – Some dry cleaners will accept wire hangers and reuse them. They may also recycle plastic bags or you may be able to put them in your regular recycling bin. To be even more eco-friendly, you can also research (Google: environmentally friendly dry cleaners) whether dry cleaners in your area use environmentally friendly solvents that are biodegradable in water and in soil. Another option is to avoid buying clothes labeled “dry clean only”.

- Techno-trash - – As you upgrade your technology, many outdated items can be reprocessed, such as VHS tapes, game cartridges, digital cameras, MP3 players, cords, cables, cassette tapes, VCRs and computer monitors. GreenDisk will take these items and reprocess them in an eco-friendly way. Call 1-800-305-DISK or visit www.greendisk.com to learn how you can pay a small amount for shipping to relieve your conscience and your clutter. In addition, www.flipswap.com can provide you with a number of local businesses that recycle used cell phones.

- Exercise videos - -Video Fitness offers a video exchange service (www.videofitness.com).

- Mattresses -- Although in most places you cannot recycle mattresses and most charities will not take them, you may be able to find a good home for a mattress in usable condition through the Freecycle Network. This Internet service helps people offer up items that other people will happily take (www.freecycle.org). Also, you can offer things for free to people in your area on an online bulletin board.

- Toothbrushes and Razors - -Buy a recycled plastic toothbrush or razor from Preserve and the company will take it back to be recycled again into plastic lumber. Preserve toothbrushes and razors are made from used Stonyfield Farm Yogurt Cups (www.preserveproducts.com).

- Clothes – - Wearable clothes can be donated to charity organizations or local shelters. Women’s business clothing can be donated to Dress for Success, which offers them to disadvantaged women looking for employment (www.dressforsuccess.org). Un-wearable clothes may be donated to pet shelters for bedding.

- Eyeglasses - – Local Lions Clubs recycle glasses and provide usable eyeglasses to children and adults throughout the world (www.lionsclub.org). Local eye care chains may also collect them, such as LensCrafters, Target Optical, or other participating stores and doctors’ offices, which will send them to www.givethegiftofsight.org. Metal frames can be recycled in scrap-metal recycling bins.

- Ink/toner cartridges -- Many office product suppliers will take back empty ink/toner cartridges, recycle them for you, and allow store credit towards future purchases. Recycleplace.com will pay up to $1 for returned ink/toner cartridges (www.recycleplace.com).

- Film Canisters –- Check with your local recycling center to find out if it takes gray film-container lids (No. 4) and black bases (No. 2). If not, many photo labs will accept them.

- Food Processors -- Some communities accept small household appliances for recycling- if not in curbside collection, then in drop-off locations. Since most appliances are about 75 percent steel according to the Steel Recycling Institute, your appliance will probably qualify unless you know it is mostly plastic.

- Carpeting -- Some carpet manufacturers take part in recycling programs. Google search “What can I do with my old carpet?” to learn more about carpet-reclamation or check with your carpet’s manufacturer.

- Crayons -- The National Crayon Recycle Program (www.crazycrayons.com) melts down crayons and reforms them into new ones.

- Hearing Aids –- The Starkey Hearing Foundation (www.sotheoworldmayhear.org) recycles used hearing aids of any make or model and no matter how old. Lions Clubs also accept hearing aids for reuse (www.lionsclub.org).

To increase recycling throughout Florida, last summer Governor Charlie Crist signed into law the Energy, Climate Change, and Economic Security Act of 2008 which establishes a new statewide recycling goal of 75 percent to be achieved by 2020.

Within the law DEP is directed to develop a program to achieve this goal and submit it to the Florida Legislature for consideration by January 1, 2010.

Smartshopper: Eco-friendly tips for your home

ecobagworld — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:34:40 +0000

By COURTNEY McKENNA, bizrate.com

Recently, I went to a green-product expo, which featured all manner of environmentally sound household and general-life stuff. And, while we’re not celebrating Earth Day yet or getting into spring cleaning (yes, it’s almost that time of the year), I thought I would share a few of my new favorite things.

Green Your Dry Clean(ing): Week in and week out, we schlep our clothes to the dry cleaners and each time we get them back our clothes are wrapped in layers upon layers of plastic. Luckily, someone created the Green Garmento, a clever, three-in-one solution to all that plastic waste. It’s a reusable bag that works as a hanging hamper at home, turns into a duffel bag to transport clothes and then, with its long side zipper, is a single garment bag your cleaner can pack all of your neatly pressed hanging clothes in. It holds 10-12 pounds of clothes and is machine washable. Available for $9.99 at thegreengarmento.com.

Tame Your Tossing Habit: If, like me, your first instinct when you see a spill or need to do a little kitchen cleanup is to grab a fistful of paper towels, swipe and toss, well, maybe it’s time to think beyond the roll. I like the functional and adorable Skoy cloth — an absorbent, biodegradable and multi-use cloth that can be laundered or microwaved (when moistened, please) to keep it fresh. It’s 6.75 by 7.75 inches and can absorb 15 times its own weight. Plus, it’s good on the wallet: Simplefamilyliving.com sells them for $2 each — and shipping is free.

Go Toward The Lite: Like flossing every day and calling your mother, having a flashlight handy for emergencies is something we all know we should do, but often don’t. Knock at least one thing off your list with the Hybrid Solar Lite flashlight. It’s waterproof to 80 feet underwater, offers 10 hours of light from a full charge and doesn’t require traditional batteries (good money saver!). It’s available in a range of prices, from $24.95 at hybridlite.com to less than $20 at various Amazon.com sellers.

If you, like many others, resolved to be a little better to the environment this year, hopefully some of these tips will help you toward that goal.

(Courtney McKenna works for BizRate.com, a Scripps Networks Interactive company and one of the largest comparison shopping sites. E-mail Courtney at askcourtney(at)bizrate.com with all your shopping questions. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service,www.scrippsnews.com.)

Getting green one song at a time

ecobagworld — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:30:43 +0000

Students at Corpus Christi Catholic School got quite a lesson set to music on how to help the Earth. Stan Slaughter, the “Eco-Troubadour,” has been to 850 schools across the state promoting green living with music. Advertisement “You get those good habits and those good ideas early, you’ll carry them forward,” he said. The music gets the kids’ attention. “It’s just the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down. It’s working.” Some of the kids already have habits that help the Earth. “I use reusable bags when I go shopping,” said Michael Braman, a fourth grader. Natalie Clarke says her family also does their part. “We recycle and turn off electricity when we’re gone,” the fourth grader said. Gabe Magee had his own green tip. “Turn down the thermostat in the winter when you don’t need it to be high up,” said the fifth grader. Students also got a glimpse of what could be in their eco-friendly future. “I think the coolest part was the solar panels,” said Natalie. “You can just use the sun.” Fourth grader Garrett Wildeman was most impressed by cars that run on batteries. “You charge the battery up and then you’re off,” he said. They get the importance of keeping the Earth healthy. “If we don’t take care of the environment, we won’t have the Earth anymore,” said Gabe. Natalie echoed his sentiments. “If we don’t save it, then we’re going to die,” she said. Plus, Michael thinks the green movement is a good one. “You can help the Earth be a better place,” he said. Slaughter travels all over the state thanks to the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment…more

Motivated by a Tax, Irish Spurn Plastic Bags

ecobagworld — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:28:21 +0000

DUBLIN — There is something missing from this otherwise typical bustling cityscape. There are taxis and buses. There are hip bars and pollution. Every other person is talking into a cellphone. But there are no plastic shopping bags, the ubiquitous symbol of urban life.

In 2002, Ireland passed a tax on plastic bags; customers who want them must now pay 33 cents per bag at the register. There was an advertising awareness campaign. And then something happened that was bigger than the sum of these parts.

Within weeks, plastic bag use dropped 94 percent. Within a year, nearly everyone had bought reusable cloth bags, keeping them in offices and in the backs of cars. Plastic bags were not outlawed, but carrying them became socially unacceptable — on a par with wearing a fur coat or not cleaning up after one’s dog.

“When my roommate brings one in the flat it annoys the hell out of me,” said Edel Egan, a photographer, carrying groceries last week in a red backpack.

Drowning in a sea of plastic bags, countries from China to Australia, cities from San Francisco to New York have in the past year adopted a flurry of laws and regulations to address the problem, so far with mixed success. The New York City Council, for example, in the face of stiff resistance from business interests, passed a measure requiring only that stores that hand out plastic bags take them back for recycling.

But in the parking lot of a Superquinn Market, Ireland’s largest grocery chain, it is clear that the country is well into the post-plastic-bag era. “I used to get half a dozen with every shop. Now I’d never ever buy one,” said Cathal McKeown, 40, a civil servant carrying two large black cloth bags bearing the bright green Superquinn motto. “If I forgot these, I’d just take the cart of groceries and put them loose in the boot of the car, rather than buy a bag.” … more

Canadian families slowly going green

ecobagworld — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:14:18 +0000

Canadian households are gradually going green, a new Statistics Canada report shows, and experts hope economic woes will encourage those efforts rather than stall them.

The survey, released Tuesday, shows Canadian families are embracing energy-efficient light bulbs, water-conserving toilets and shower heads, reusable shopping bags and eschewing bottled water in growing numbers. Eco products often carry a premium price tag but save consumers money over the long run, conservation experts say, and that’s a big draw when everyone is anxiously watching their bank accounts.

“Not only are these choices environmentally friendly, but they leave more money in the wallets of Canadians as well,” says Pierre Sadik, senior policy adviser for the David Suzuki Foundation. “Not surprisingly and quite sensibly, I think Canadians are seeing that there’s a double payoff here, environmentally and financially.” … more

Stamford students fight plastic bags to save the ocean

ecobagworld — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:50:25 +0000

STAMFORD — Ten thousand plastic grocery bags stowed in the corner of a middle-school conference room take up a lot of space. But five Rippowam seventh-graders packed them up for recycling, and now the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, thousands of miles away, will grow a little less. Last week, the students stuffed the mostly white and yellow bags into larger, clear plastic ones so they could be hauled away and recycled, which would keep them out of the Texas-sized patch of garbage soup about 500 miles off the California coast….more

The writing is on the bag: recycle

ecobagworld — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:38:30 +0000

Lately, I’ve been reading plastic bags. You know, the kind you get at grocery and retail store checkouts. In particular, I’m looking for this statement: “Please return to a participating store for recycling.” And it has begun to show up here. It was there big and bold on a Kmart bag and a Hannaford bag and a Wal-Mart bag, too.In a year, you’ll see the statement everywhere; for now, retailers can work through their existing inventory of bags.The directive is courtesy of a law passed last year in New York and signed by the governor in December. Effective Jan. 1, supermarkets and retailers occupying at least 10,000 square feet in the state (and chains having at least five storefronts of 5,000 square feet or more in New York) had to start helping us tame the plastic-bag clutter. …. More