Bra doubles as shopping bag

Lingerie manufacturer Triumph International Japan introduced their bra / reusable bag combination. When in bra formation, the shopping bag portion acts as padding.

http://www.triumphjapan.com/release/unique/2006110700166.html


JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

San Francisco ban in effect

As of Tuesday 11/19/2007 large grocery stores are only allowed to distribute paper or biodegradable plastic bags.

From the San Francisco Gate
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/11/19/BA2BTE64K.DTL

From CNN
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/tech/2007/11/26/lawrence.plastic.bag.ban.cnn

Bring your own...

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

London considering banning free plastic bags

On November 27, the London Local Authorities (Shopping Bag) Bill is due to be deposited in Parliament. London councils want free plastic bags to be banned to encourage the use of reusable bags.Councillor Merrick Cockell, chairman of London Councils, said: "The campaign to rid the capital of the environmental blight of throwaway shopping bags begins here."


JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Plastic Bag News from New York and Arizona

In New York and Arizona there is talk of plastic bag recycling. While recycling is good, reusing is better. The energy and resources needed for recycling can be spared by bringing a reusable bag.

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Massachusetts designates "Reusable Bag Day"

Heard about the office trend of "No Email Fridays?" Well Massachusetts has declared Wednesday at "Reusable Bag Day" to promote the overall use of reusable bags. Hong Kong and Singapore sponsored similar programs, and brought a lot of attention to the cause.

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Zanzibar banned plastic bags

In 2006, Zanzibar banned the import and production of plastic bags to help protect the environment. The Government was particularly concerned with damage to marine life and the negative impact that could have on tourism. Shoppers are encouraged to use raffia reusable bags instead of plastic. Violating the ban results in a fine and/or jail time, but sceptics question if the ban will be enforced.

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

City of Santa Monica Task Force discuss plastic bags

On 10/9/2007, the City of Santa Monica Task Force on the Environment discussed the distribution of plastic bags at commercial establishments in Santa Monica. Options reviewed included a ban, a tax, recycling, and community education. The discussion will continue in following meetings.

JP Monkey
http://www.jpmonkey.com/

Car game: Count the plastic bags

Our road trip car game as kids was to count license plates from different states. Now I play a new car game and count the number of plastic bags littering the side of the highway.

It is astounding how many you see when you are on the lookout.

We can all make a difference with a simple action. When asked the paper or plastic question, just respond, "I brought my own, thank you".

JP Monkey
http://www.jpmonkey.com/

Will Santa Barbara ban plastic bags?

On May 16, 2007 the city leaders of Santa Barbara discussed a ban on plastic bags and styrofoam. The initiatives will be discussed further by the Solid Waste Commitee and the Ordinance Committee.

A styrofoam ban is considered by many to be easier than a plastic bag ban.
JP Monkey would like to encourage shoppers to bring their own bags. If everyone did, it could save the city the trouble of enforcing a ban.

JP Monkey
http://www.jpmonkey.com/

First US city to ban plastic bags

In April 2007, the mayor of San Francisco banned the plastic bags, at least the distribution of non-biodegradable plastic bags. Large supermarkets were given 6 months to comply, and chain pharmacies have until 2008 to make the change. A ban may seem extreme, but it has brought a lot of attention to issue of plastic bags and their use in the way we shop.

I am not certain of who actually counts them all, but some figures I have read estimate that the US distributes 100 billion plastic bags per year, 19 billion of those in California. That's a lot of counting.

Some reasons some citizens are concerned with this number of plastic bags distributed include: the bags do not biodegrade; many of the bags end up in the ocean and harm marine life; plastic bags are made with oil - 12 million barrels for an annual US consumption; and many bags litter the roadsides and trees.

Numerous other city leaders in the US are discussing a ban, including Boston, Baltimore, Oakland, Portland, Santa Monica, Steamboat Springs, and Annapolis.

Other places around the work have instituted plastic bag takes or bans to decrease their reliance on the pesky bags. Ireland, where the plastic bag was refered to as their national flag, started a Plastax in 2002, and has reduced the distribution of plastic bags by 90%. South Africa's minister of Environment and Tourism named the plastic bag their national flower, collects 3 cents for every bag distributed. Bangladesh banned plastic bags because littered bags were blamed for blocking drains and causing floods. Taiwan and Zanzibar banned plastic bags to try to curb the litter problem of used bags.

Growing in popularity is the use of resuable shopping bags, and not just in places that have instituted a ban.

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com