Paper or Plastic?

Oh, I wish something like that would catch on here, Gena!  Some of the stores don't even HAVE paper bags, so it does no good to ask for them.  BOO HISS!

Gena,  Seriously?  Paying for plastic bags?  It's a GREAT idea, but I never would have thought about that.  I never would have thought about the t-shirt idea either.  I pick up re-usable bags every time I go to Half Price Books.  They are BIG.  :)  I almost have enough to go grocery shopping.

I like knap sacks, old onion bags and potato sacks.

Our Washington Legislature is working on similar legislation.   Just a matter of changing habits I suppose.

Some places (if I remembered the link I'd reference it, so I'm sorry) sell some really cool cloth bags for $1. Yup that's right! One little dollarino!

Sure .15 cents doesn't sound like much when you're in a hurry but $1 isn't a whole lot either. So buy yourself the savings...c'mon! It's only a buck!

I think I remember seeing WalMart selling those cloth bags for $1. Trader Joe's has some too but they're a little more expensive. 

BTW,  this is a perfect post for the Eco All Stars.  :)  I gave it a shiny star.

Gena - I think it's a great idea. Why not just ban them adn save all the trouble of charging money?

Let me share an option for folks who want to support the environment and not pay 15 cents per bag - my wife uses them, and my daughter, and some other folks. Check out Envirosax. These bags are terrific - they fold up to a small bundle that fits in a pocket or purse, and they can carry A LOT. A great way to support the environment.

Jeff 

With arnold facing those education cuts, anything that increases money into the state will help. 15 cents for a plastic bag would certainly add up. My wife has been using a bag she made... which is much better than those useless plastic ones.

best 

We must save the environment for our heirs...and small steps when applied across a large cross-section can make a big difference. There's still a choice in the local stores,but I take my own cloth bags as I'm "green"

Lisa, you should write a letter to your council members and suggest it. You guys don't need pollution there either. I am shocked. But, there are so many more pressing issues, I would imagine.

Stephanie, sounds like you are an excellent recycler. Keep up the good work and re-use those bags. It seems that when you hit people in their pocket-book it sometimes makes them think. 15 cents isn't much but hopefully it will be enough to get their attention to change. I really think that a lot of people really just don't know.

Bryan, what a great idea. Thank you for sharing that.

Carol, excellent. Apparently, there are some like minds thinking clearly to get something accomplished that will help our planet.

Ricardo, I did see some at Traders Joe's, too. Walmart is a place I refuse to shop in due to their outsourcing of jobs and the poor wages they pay their employees so I don't know about them.

Stephanie, why thank you. Haven't gotten one of those in a very long time. I appreciate that.

Jeff, thank you for bringing this to my attention. I went to the site and read, "reusable shopping bags are lightweight, portable, waterproof and each one holds the equivalent of two supermarket plastic bags thanks to reinforced seams." 5 come in a pouch for $37.95 in several different colors.

I appreciate the heads-up and will share this with my Sacramento readers as well. Thank you.

Gary and Richard, sounds like your wife is e-friendly and a responsible earthling.

Vickie, you bring up a very good point. Not everyone is on the same page so for those that are just beginning...paper is the choice to be made over plastic. Once you turn the page, then making or buying a cloth bag that can be laundered is the way to go. Thanks for reminding me that some have just picked up the book and have not opened to the first page, yet.

It's coming here too.... Paia is trying to ban plastic bags.  I hear the Chinese are on the same track... they use BILLIONS of plastic bags a day.  scary thought isn't it?  We all need to get used to it and carry our own bags with us.

What a great idea! Thanks.

Excellent idea, I haven't heard of it here, but Ann Arbor is so enviromentally conscience if CA is doing it, I guarantee it will be coming.

Georgina,I would think that the little grocery store in Paia would be enforcing no plastic. I know that some of the shops that I purchased from had their own material bags that they placed my items in. Definitely needed so that the ocean is not further compromised. Hope it happens, soon!

Miriam, it really is and will make a huge difference if we can get everyone on board. Those plastic bag companies need to take this opportunity and develop something e-friendly.

Missy, I would imagine you are right, Ann Arbor is forward thinking and this should be one of the top 10 for them.

Gena -- I love the t-shirt idea!  I'm so glad stores are on board with making cloth bags available, even my local wine shop has cloth bags with nice little dividers. . .it will hold 4 bottles nicey!

Gena, In our area, Raleys (locally owned and at least somewhat union friendly) and Albertsons sell the non-woven polypropylene reusable bags for 99 cents. I think that they both deduct 15 cents per bag that you bring also. I wish that they would point out that If you usually buy 4 or five bags of groceries per trip, every three trips you are already paying for 2 reusable bags. The bags are polypropylene, and made in China, but it is a easy, and cheep, step in the right direction, and that is a good thing.

Gena- Wow I will put this in the learn something new everyday category. I had no idea they banned plastic bags. I ma sure this trend wil head East as well.

Lori, what was out is now in and it's so nice that something IN is of value. Great idea on the dividers.

Michael,great point and looks like Raleys and Albertsons are on board for helping to protect the environment.

Bill, I think that more and more we will see this as the Feds get more pressure to clean up our environment. You might want to be the first on your block to be with the IN crowd and purchase your cloth bags. How about it?

Gina

This seems to be the question these days.

Sincerely

Tom Braatz

Yeah, there's a similar bill in Hawaii's legislature now...or is it a honolulu county thing??  I'll have to do a little reading on it to be sure.  But I agree with it 110%.  Hawaii is, regretfully, in the stone age when it comes to recycling.  People here are writing dozens of nasty letters to the editors about how getting rid of plastic bags is ludicrous.  I suppose these are the same people who resisted curb-side recycling tooth and nail (it is still in the "pilot" phase, and it probably won't last here either).  People living in the Islands seem to have an unfathomably narrow understanding of their part in the ecosystem.   Funny, I wonder if the people opposed to ridding the state of plastic bags have Honu (Hawaii Green Sea Turtle, a VERY endangered endemic specie) stickers on their truck windows??

This is very interesting!  I think these reusable bags are becoming more and more popular!  IT is good to know that people are becoming more and more aware of "easy" low-cost ways to transport their groceries.

Tom, you betcha...it's the only way to go!

Donna, it is so hard for me to believe that this is not a big issue for you guys. I can honestly say that I noticed a remarkable change on the ocean floor from 17 years ago till now, in Hawaii. We are not taking care of what we have and there will come a day when our children's children won't see the same things that we take for granted, as beautiful. It's really such a shame when if we all just work together and do our part, it would make a difference. Tell those guys to forget the damn stickers and start conserving before they can't recognize where they live, anymore.

Joan, it's definitely the "in" thing and who doesn't want to be in? This is a "good in." I think you will be seeing more and more of them as time goes on.

Interesting Post. I like the idea of using cloth bags. I bought a few several years ago and use them often.

Cloth shopping bags all the way Gena! It should be mandatory with no options of paper or plastic. The T-shirt idea is just fabulous!

Gena,

Wonderful. Some of the more pro-active ideas keep coming from California. From now on it's going to be paper in this household and maybe down the road we'll do one of those t-shirt flips.

Alan, it sounds like you were ahead of the environmental issues. Good for you, thank you.

Deborah, I agree however, it seems to take some folks longer than others. Glad you liked the idea. I thought it was a cheap way and something that everyone has in their home, for the most part.

Esko, glad you won't be using the plastic anymore and do try to get on the wagon of the T-shirt soon. Ok?

Gena, What a great use for  T Shirts! Now where is my old sewing maching??

Ricardo, Wal-mart does have them for a dollar. Jacqui brought one home the other day. I like the t-shirt idea Gena, hitting two birds with one stone. -Charles

Great post that has an impact on our everyday lives. I would love to see this type of legislation nationwide.

One thing I find is that I don't need to buy re-usable bags. I've been willing to for years now, but I never run out of plastic....boo.  I have such a stockpile of them, and other people in my household aren't as green or regimented as I am, so the pile grows. You can also get them from friends, which btw, will make them aware of the issue and potentially get them into re-using. I carry plastic bags in my trunk and use them whenever I am at a retail store that loves to put even a single easily carried item into a plastic bag.

You can also minimize the smaller plastic bags you put fruits and vegetables into by 2 methods:

1. Don't put individual items like an apple in a bag.

2. Re-use clean bags. Wash and then re-use dirty bags.

Our local Whole Foods stores in San Diego pays you 6 cents per bag that you bring and use when shopping for groceries at their stores.

So before you buy re-usable mesh bags, be sure to re-use the plastic bags you (or our family/friends) already have, then recycle them, then get re-usable bags. My 2 cents....thanks for a great post!

Adam Pascu

Green Housing San Diego

I love the shirt idea! What a very clever idea!

Great post!  We all need to take more responsibility in caring for our environment.  Everyone wants a clean planet, clean water to drink and clean air to breath, bu no one wants put an effort into the clean up and maintenance of our world.  And, we should teach our children to be responsible, too.

I am all for re-using packaging! 

Hi my friend, I haven't heard from you in awhile, so wanted to say hi, and glad I picket this one to do it on.  Being an avid scuba diving I totally agree, and thanks for the tip.  Plastic does kill fish, and I'll always stuffing it in my BC while diving.  Those plastic ring things that a 6 pack of coke, beer, etc. come in are especially bad.  A fish gets it around them and as they grow it strangles them.  I know I'm not supposed to do this, OK, never mind I won't...damn it's tough sticking to all the rules :).  Hope you have a great 08, Liz

Gena:

Let's just outlaw the darn plastic bags and get rid of them entirely. There are lots of alternatives that are environmentally sound. Check out envirosax.com - my wife uses them all the time, They are great.

Jeff