an update on plastic & reusable grocery bags
Grocery bags have been in the news quite a bit lately, for reasons both good and bad. Here's the information I've gathered about the ongoing effort to ban plastic bags, and the recent reports of lead in certain reusable grocery bags.
A Plastic Bag Ban
Earlier, I blogged about a bill that would have banned plastic bags throughout the state of California. Sadly, that bill did not pass, but recently, Los Angeles County took matters into its own hands!
LA has banned plastic bags in all unincorporated areas of the city - that covers about 1.1 million residents. Incorporated cities within Los Angeles County, like Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and Pasadena, are not covered by the ban, but they can enact their own ordinances. The good news is that this ban is more stringent than the bill that was being debated on the state level, because it applies to all retailers, not just grocery stores. Also, shoppers who wish to use paper bags will need to pay 10 cents per paper bag, as opposed to the 5 cents per paper bag proposed in the state bill. Now we just need to lobby our city councils to pass similar ordinances in the cities within Los Angeles County! Your city should have a website with contact information – if you're not sure where to find your city's site, a simple Google search should do the trick!
Lead In Reusable Grocery Bags
Recently, the New York Times and the Huffington Post among others, have reported that lead has been found in certain reusable grocery bags. The Huffington Post reports:
"The Tampa Tribune tested more than a dozen bags from major grocers and found certain bags sold in Winn-Dixie and Publix stores had lead levels that concerned health officials. In a preview of a Sunday article, the newspaper's website reported that some bags had enough lead they could be considered hazardous waste if residents disposed of them in household trash."
Scary! My advice is to research your grocery bags before buying. There are many brands that are making sustainable tote bags – you don't have to rely on those sold at the checkout counter of your local grocery store. Get Hip, Get Green makes a great bag that is made from 100% recyclable, non-woven polypropylene (NWPP), a material made from recycled water bottles - and the bag is also recyclable. I also blogged about some cute eco-shopping bags here. As you can see there are lots of eco-friendly choices!
What kind of grocery bag do you use?
33 comments
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I will either reuse the same plastic bag or I have a rucksack which I carry around (usually keep my netbook in) that I will use while shopping.
The problem is that I feel guilty still when having to use binliners for garbage.. they must be a much better alternative and yet for Hygiene I can not think of much else.. wrapping it up in newspaper for instance means it's one less paper in the recycle Bin.. at a bit of a loss with it considering the plastics are becoming a major concern in the oceons right now...
If I could ban anything it's them horrible bottle caps that don't recycle & only end up in the oceon (garbage island is 4 times the size of Texas in the sea) when the stuff grinds up it ends up about the same size particles as plankton as well... I would vote again to first ban all plastics not recycleable.. especially them plastic caps.
Any inventive ideas to replace the binliner?
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In Canada we are starting to see Simple & Natural bags. These are great because:
- they are made of 100% recycled cotton
- no addition of colours, bleaches or chemicals
- biodegradable
- easy to wash
Have a look at them at: www.simplenatural.net
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I live in Southern Ontario and most of our grocery stores have gone 'bring your own' here...it is 5 cents per plastic bag here if you don't have your own...so that's what I do...bring my own reuseable bags!! I am surprised that more stores in the U.S. are not following this practice as well?! We were in Cambridge, England 2 summers ago and they were already doing it there in their grocery stores! I wish more stores would go 'bag less' as well, it really does help cut down on the unnecessary waste!
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Chico Bags are the best! I keep 3 of them in my purse at all times, so I never forget them at home or in the car. They are super light and compact. You can get them in a variety of sizes and styles, and they also make bags that are 99% recycled - I recommend the Vita rePETE.
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I also use reuseable bags, but I forget maybe once a month, but then I use the plastic bags for my trash can liners...what is a better alternative?? If there is one, please let me know! I compost and recycle, so the trash that goes in those plastic bags is very little, but still, it bothers me.
~Amy
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I often use plastic bags to put the dirty kitty litter in (I also use the grocery bags as garbage can liners in my home). I live in Nova Scotia and here in the Annapolis Valley we have mandatory waste sorting. Garbage has to be sorted (paper, plastic/recyclables, etc.) and displayed in specific (recycled) clear bags - with one old school dark garbage bag permitted per household. it's a great idea as it allows the trash collectors to know what goes where for disposal. The Valley Waste Resource Management website is a great tool as it guides those of us who are still somewhat unsure (http://www.vwrm.com/Recycling_SortingWaste.html). Sure, it seems invasive at times but it's about doing everything we can for a greener earth.
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I use reusable and honestly I don't know if they contain lead or not.
They are just simple fabric tote bags.
Plastic grocery bags are evil, they do so much damage to sea life and the environment. They should really have a higher price tag than 5c for those people who still choose to use them.
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I have envirosax! They're really great because they roll up and you can fit 5 HUGE bags into a little pouch that I always keep in my purse :)
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Thanks for the information!!! I didn't know that the bags were of varied caliber. Also, what a fabulous picture at the top!
Suzann
http://www.MyMakeupMirror.com/MakeupWithoutCruelty.php
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My favorite bag is one I got for free at a "Touch a Truck" children's event. There were sponsor tables set up all throughout the event giving out key chains, pens, candy, etc. Most of the tables had bags and I grabbed a Toyota one to put our goodies in. I now wish I would have taken a bag from each table because it's such a great bag. It's a really nice big bag, I use it for grocery shopping, carrying books back and forth to the library, carrying my kids pillows and blankets to grandmas house. I keep searching for one I like as much to buy but haven't found it's equal yet. I'll have to go to "Touch a Truck" again this summer and stock up!
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Alex - maybe for some time in the future - there are indoor compost options. I belive there's a thread about it, if you're interested.
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reusable bags are really important to me because when I found out that fish and other sea life were eating plastic bags, thinking it was their food (prey), I realized that I had to do something that would make a difference to the environment...I always bring my reusable bags when I go grocery shopping and when I found out that the commercial reusable bags were not safe because of their lead levels, I decided to make my own bags...I managed to buy a sewing machine at half price off, and I buy cheap material at the sewing store...I had bag patterns to make bag, years ago, but I have been able to design my own cloth bags, decorating them with colored beads and embroidery...I'm really an arts and crafts person; I love creating things, and designing things...I have also made doll clothes, aprons, makeup bags, a case for my glasses, change purses, and I mend my clothes to extend their life...waste not want not...
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I use reusable bags when I shop 75% of the time. The other 25% of the time, I get the paper bags at Whole Foods. What do you guys use for trash bags in your house? I don't want to buy plastic bags and a trash can, so I just use the paper bags from Whole Foods as my trash can. This has been bothering me for awhile- not sure what's the best option. Also, sometimes I put my fruit in plastic produce bags at the store when I know I'll be doing a lot of juicing. I use those plastic bags to line my juicer. I live in an apartment complex, so composting is not an option. I also use those bags to pick up after my dog. Recently I have found biodegradable bags for picking up dog waste. Are buying those better than reusing the bags from the grocery store?
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I have a few "real" reusable grocery sacks, but I mostly use little tote bags. I find that they are usually studier and can be thrown in the washer and dryer without concern. Plus, all of my tote bags are either funky/ cute/ totally me or they have a fun memory associated with them. (ex: the tote bag I got filled with "welcome" goodies from the first apt my husband and I had together, the tote bag that held all of my stuff for my son's homebirth, etc)
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i mostly use bags from Whole Foods.. they've had their bags tested and said they are lead-free
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i use bags that i found at borders. they fold up in a little pouch so they fit in my bag and i carry them everywhere! actually we used them for your bowls! i also use those ones they have at target that are reusable...and some ones like the target ones that have my local health food store logo on them.
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Here's another website you can find reusable produce bags, lunch bags for the kids (or big kids too!) as well as shopping bags: www.randomsacks.com (the business is called Random Sacks of Kindness).
I found her on ETSY.com and there are a ton of artists that make reusable bags that are beautiful and not that expensive if you just search around!
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Hazel- Thanks for the easy tip. cant wait to try it...would probably look really cool if you did it with a button up shirt...
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Rachel - You can make t-shirt bags really easily without a pattern - just sew up the bottom of the shirt, and cut off the sleeves and you've got a bag with handles! If you need a wider opening, you can also cut the neck out. I find that after cutting t-shirts, it's not really necessary to sew the edges because they don't frey, but it depends on what kind of look you want and how much work you want to put into it.
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I love the idea of making your own bag out of old clothes..cant think of a better reason to pull out my sewing machine from the attic....where can I find that easy pattern?
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I have been using the plastic bags for my dirty litter, or poop. I try to use my reuseable bag when shopping. I wish there were not so much of them.. =(
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How can we find out if ours has lead (without using those expensive lead testers on each one)? I have tons.
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I use the re-usable bags from our grocery store [Raley's] too but if I forget my bags, I prefer the paper ones. I recycle them by loading all of my paper and cardboard in to them to take to the recyclers! What am I gonna do w/all of that stuff if I don't have something to put it in to get it there?! I don't always have a large cardboard box to use.
If I do end up w/plastic bags, those are recycled too.
It is difficult for us to recycle where we live. We have cans all lined up for the aluminum, CRV, glass, tin, other plastic and then I load paper bags w/paper and cardboard stuff. Then we have to haul it all out to TWO different places to get it taken care of. It's a pain in the patoot but we do it.
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Another awesome website- used to be reusablebags.com now it's http://www.reuseit.com/. That is where I have bought most of my bags- string bags. I have been using them since my 12 year old was an infant!!! They are still going strong, no rips, and still pretty colors, they haven't even faded.
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