No More Excuses- Reusable Bags

It’s funny about the reusuable bags, why are people so anti? So what if you don’t care about energy and global warming. Do you care about litter? Do you care about how much of your taxes goes to pick up litter?

Do you care about the food you eat?

Do you care about the cost of opening a landfill ($23 Million). Do you care about your children and grandchildren will be living in a plastic bag wasteland if we don’t stop the bag? Do you care that the cost of that plastic bag is underwritten in your purchases? Upset about oil prices? Plastic bags only increase our dependence on oil. Are you concerned about water? The amount of water used in the manufacture of plastic bags is incredible. 

I Just Gotta Tell Ya 

• Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion 
• Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year
• Only 1% of plastic bags are recycled annually.
• Each year the United States consumes 30 billion plastic and 10 billion paper grocery bags, requiring 14 million trees and 12 million barrels of oil.
• 1460 – Plastic bags used in a year by an average family of four in the U.S. 

Trends and Solutions Globally

• San Francisco- already banned 
• Westport CT,- banned most at retail check out corners
• Boston,  Balitomre, Portand, Reno, Massachusetts, New York, Indiana – considering banning 
• Ikea- you alreadly pay 
• Ireland started taxing bags in 2002
• China has banned on free plastic bags. 
• Mass. introduced a bills charge consumer 2cents going up to 15 cents 
• Conn is considering a bills that would fine retailers up to $1000 if using non-biodegradable bags 
• Maryland- legislations ban plastic bags in all grocery stores. 
• Alaska: 30 communities have institued bans on the distribution of non-biodegradable bags 

Here are all the excuses-  

• It’s a hassle- no excuse- doesn’t fly-how hard is it to put a few bags in the front seat of the car? 
• I forget- again- how hard is it to put bags in the front seat of the car? Get small foldable bags and put in your purse, backback and pockets. 
• I need the bags for my dog- there is plenty of plastic packaging wafting in the breeze. This may be a hard thing to come out of the box, but you don’t have to use grocery store plastic bags to pick up after your pets. You have many choices – from Pooper Scoopers to other packaging waste. 
• I don’t care- maybe you don’t care about you, but plastic bags are not about you- they are about the future of the earth, your family and your offsprings. Stop being so selfish. 
• It’s not cool- actually I haven’t heard that yet- but got the vibe from my nephew, who prides himself on being cool!- I can’t wait for the day he starts getting ‘uncool’ comments from his cool friends. What can I say- he’s a jock! (no offensive to jocks) Kudos to another nephew- who just got converted to the Reusable Bag! 
• I don’t want to buy one- OK, you with your SUV, $50.00 haircut and Coach purse- clean out your house and use all the totes and miscelleanous purses you own and use them. Better yet, take your old bags and use them! 
• I don’t have any- how can you miss them- every store offers bags- just add into your tab everytime you go to the store. 

Reusable Bag Sources 

• BagsOnTheRun (Phoenix, AZ) 
• Earthwise Bag Company (Commerce, CA) 
• Environmental Bags (San Diego, CA) 
• Inconvenient Bag 
• Eco Bag
• Chico Bag (Chico, CA) 
• Green Bag America
• ReJAVAnate –takes burlap from coffee roasters that would be otherwise sent to landfill. Works with The ARC which serves individuals with developmental disabilities to hand make the bags
• Bangalla– bags and all sort of eco gift items 

Resources:

Bring Your Own Bag