It's Not My Bag, Man

Here is an interesting tidbit from the NYT Cityroom blog: Council Votes to Require Stores to Recycle Plastic Bags.
Unlike San Fransisco, which last week implemented their city council's vote to ban the use of nonbiodegradable plastic bags, New York is undertaking a huge recycling program to dispose of them. Plastic bags are a worldwide problem, and a global effort to do something about it is well underway. Even China is onboard with a plastic bag ban, as this article from the BBC makes clear. Many other cities either already have or are working on a solution to plastic-bag pollution (it's not just the pollution either, the manufacture of these bags uses vast amounts of petroleum): London, Philadelphia, Boston, Annapolis (where the bags are a menace to marine life), and there are entire countries which have banned the bag. The natural foods superchain Whole Foods is phasing in a national plastic bag ban at its Austin Tx mothership stores, and at those two stores raising its reusable bag refund from five to ten cents. I hope this bag credit raise will join the ban throughout the chain ASAP. I carry them in both of our vehicles and bring my own produce bags (cloth or string) as well as canvas grocery bags when I shop, and at ten cents a bag I'd be looking at a sizeable credit at the checkout counter.

Many grocery chains now sell their own reusable bags, but if you can't find them handily, this is the best online site for them I know. They also carry reusable steel bottles for toting your (tap, of course, it's the new chic) essential daily water. If papa hasn't yet got a brandnew bag, it's time to buy him one, or several.

Technorati Tags: New York City Council, plastic bag ban, plastic bag recycling, reusable bags, Whole Foods,

| +Save/Share | |