Responsible Shopper

US Plastic Bag Reduction Act introduced

2009-05-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Introduced on April 22nd by US Rep Jim Moran, the act imposes a five cent tax on all single use carrier and other plastic bags from supermarkets, convenience stores, takeout bags, and all other retail bags.

If passed, the five cent tax on plastic bags would increase to 25 cents in 2015, making an average trip to the supermarket cost a dollar more on each occasion if plastic bags are used.

http://www.fairhome.co.uk/2009/04/29/us-move-to-tax-plastic-bags-out-of-existence/

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

25 cent plastic bag tax proposed in California

2009-05-01T14:00:00.001-07:00

Assemblywoman Julie Brownley of Santa Monica is the author of the bill that's designed to reduce plastic bag litter. The bill proposes charging shoppers 25 cents for every plastic and paper bag they get from the grocery and drug store.

http://www.wbir.com/money/story.aspx?storyid=84591&catid=92

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

South Australia will enforce a ban on plastic bags

2009-05-01T13:55:00.000-07:00

On Monday May 4, South Australia will enforce a ban on plastic bags on grocery stores, saving 400 million bags.

Target has confirmed it will also ban plastic shopping bags in its Australian shops next month, saving an estimated 100 million bags a year.

http://www.watoday.com.au/national/target-bans-plastic-bags-next-month-20090430-aoyb.html

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Shoppers Using Reusable Bags 3 Times More

2009-05-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

Grocery store chain Whole Foods, the first in the U.S. to eliminate plastic grocery bags, has seen the use of reusable shopping bags triple in the last year, Counselor reports. Whole foods did away with plastic bags in April 2008, and many other stores have done the same or begun offering credits for returned plastic bags or for brining in reusable bags.

http://www.corporatelogo.com/hotnews/shoppers-reusable-bags.html

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Elephants don't forget their bags

2009-03-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

The Scottish Government is spending £466,000 on an advertising campaign to encourage people to reuse plastic bags. The advertisements on TV, radio and billboards use the image of an elephant to underline the "Don't forget" message.

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Shoppers-are-urged-to-get.5064414.jp

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Texas bill to charge a 7 cent bag tax

2009-03-13T15:34:00.000-07:00

The Texas Legislature is considering a bill that mirrors efforts in cities across the state and nation to reduce the use of plastic bags or charge for their use. Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, thinks a 7-cent tax on plastic bags in Texas could be part of the solution to ending use of the ubiquitous and environmentally unfriendly sacks. Under his bill, a small part of the 7 cents charged on each plastic bag would go back to the retailer while the rest would help cities run their recycling programs.

Virginia and Maryland also are debating similar fees for plastic bags and so are cities such as Seattle, Washington and New York. More than a dozen other cities have passed or are debating bans on plastic bags.
http://www.planetizen.com/node/37681

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Schlumpy

2009-03-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

Bag company, Blue Avocado, created a big ball of plastic bags and rolled it around various cities to raise awareness of the million plastic shopping bags Americans use each year. The video can be found at http://sustainablog.org/2009/03/13/help-schlumpy-get-1-billion-plastic-bags-off-of-the-street/#more-4295

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Reduce plastic bag consumption in Massachusetts

2009-03-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Massachusetts Food Association and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection signed an agreement 3/12/2009 committing to reducing the number of disposable plastic and paper grocery bags distributed in the state by a third in the next five years.

http://www.milforddailynews.com/state/x1676802437/Using-plastic-bags-may-be-a-hard-habit-to-break

The hope is to cut the use of bags at supermarkets to 1 billion annually, from 1.5 billion, by 2013. According to the ACC, plastic bags use 70% less energy to make than paper bags and emit 50% less greenhouse gas during production.

http://www.smartbrief.com/news/acc/storyDetails.jsp?issueid=599AB3CD-D4C2-44E5-B0DF-D95FBB4567B2&copyid=2AE85B23-A8BF-44EC-9B64-F2EFEED43705

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Plastic bag ban in Dehli

2009-01-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

The plastic bag ban in Delhi went into effect Jan 9, 2009. Hotels, hospitals, retail stores, markets, restaurants, and liquor stores should comply or face the maximum penalty for using a banned plastic bag which is a a fine of Rs.100,000 or a five-year prison term. A complaint from some merchants has been the lack of other affordable bag options. Bring your own!

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/traders-campaigners-welcome-ban-on-plastic-bags-in-delhi_100143163.html

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Biodegradable bags

2009-01-16T11:59:00.000-08:00

One solution to the plastic bag dilemma is to have biodegradable plastic bags, which sounds great, but the Telegraph journal reported today that they only degrade with oxygen, which most landfills do not get much of because they get covered. Biodegradable is not the same as compostable, which break down from being eaten by micro-organisms. Recycling is also not an option for biodegradable bags because products made from the recycled material will break down due to a chemical additive.

Confused? Just bring your own bag and save the worry!

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/city/article/541771

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Toledo and New York mayors proposed plastic bag tax

2008-11-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

The mayors of Toledo, OH and New York, NY have both proposed a tax on plastic bags.

In New York, it has been estimated that the fee could generate at least $16 million for the city while keeping a billion plastic bags every year out of landfills.

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Plastic in the ocean

2008-11-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) has proposed instituting plastic bag use fees and banning plastic take-out containers as part of a strategy to reduce ocean litter.

According to the Long Beach-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation, 60 to 80% of the world's ocean litter is made up of plastic.

http://www.resources.ca.gov/copc/

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

5 Canadian cents fee for plastic bags

2008-11-30T19:24:00.000-08:00

Loblaw, Canada's biggest super market chain, said it would begin charging customers 5 Canadian cents a bag on April 22, 2009, which is Earth Day.

The city council in Toronto is currently debating passing a controversial bylaw to put a surcharge of 5 Canadian cents on all plastic shopping bags used in the city.

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

If you need to take a plastic bag...

2008-11-30T19:12:00.001-08:00

If you need to take a plastic bag, please re-use it, or recycle curbside if available or at a convenient drop-off site. Grocery stores often provide a bin for recycling plastic bags, and www.plasticbagrecycling.org has a database of drop-off locations. Remember to recycle only plastic bags that are clean and dry and remove any receipts.

JP Monkey
www.jpmonkey.com

Bra doubles as shopping bag

2007-12-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-26T17:17:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-13T15:33:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

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"

2007-11-11T09:37:00.000-08:00

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

2007-10-18T08:51:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-10-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

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