I Don't Need a Bag!

Starring The Abe Lincoln Story. Help cut down on waste by buying your "I Don't Need a Bag" canvas tote today!

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Published on Tuesday, October 30, 2007 by Reuters
New York May Join Crackdown On Plastic Bags
by Edith Honan

NEW YORK - New York City may follow an international trend and crack down on plastic shopping bags, seeking to cut their use with a plan officials hope will be a model for other cities.1030 07

A proposal introduced on Monday requires stores larger than 5,000 square feet to set up an in-store recycling program and sell reusable bags.

Some 700 food stores plus large retailers such as Target and Home Depot would have to collect used bags and provide a system for turning them over to a manufacturer or to third-party recycling firms.

Stores would be required to use bags printed with a reminder to consumers: “Please return this bag to a participating store for recycling.”

Environmentalists have targeted plastic bags as a scourge that take years to biodegrade and contaminate soil and water.

“We think this strikes the right balance between conscience and convenience,” said Councilman Peter Vallone, a co-sponsor of the bill, which needs approval from the city council and environmentally minded Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The bill was expected to come to a vote within several months.

In 2002, Ireland introduced a tax on plastic bags, reducing their use by 90 percent. Some communities in Australia have banned them in retail stores since 2003.

In March, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban plastic bags from large supermarkets and the state of California enacted a law in July that requires large stores to take back plastic bags and encourage their reuse.

Americans use an estimated 84 billion plastic bags annually, and the production of plastic bags worldwide uses over 12 million barrels of oil per year, the council said.

Recycled bags can be used to produce new bags plus a variety of plastic products, including furniture.

Estimates vary widely for how long it takes plastic bags to decompose, and some environmentalists say it is impossible to know because plastics have only been used commercially in recent decades.

© Reuters 2007

San Francisco Passes Plastic-Bag Ban

By LISA LEFF Wed Mar 28, 9:53 AM ET

SAN FRANCISCO - City leaders approved a ban on plastic grocery bags after weeks of lobbying on both sides from environmentalists and a supermarket trade group. San Francisco would be the first U.S. city to adopt such a rule if Mayor Gavin Newsom signs the ban as expected.
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The law, approved 10-1, requires large markets and drug stores to offer customers bags made of paper that can be recycled, plastic that breaks down easily enough to be made into compost, or reusable cloth.

San Francisco supervisors and supporters said that by banning the petroleum-based sacks, blamed for littering streets and choking marine life, the measure would go a long way toward helping the city earn its green stripes.

"Hopefully, other cities and states will follow suit," said Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who crafted the ban after trying to get a 15-cent per bag tax passed in 2005.

The 50 grocery stores that would be most affected by the law argued that the ban was not reasonable because plastic bags made of corn byproducts are a relatively new, expensive and untested product. Some said they might offer only paper bags at checkout.

"I think what grocers will do now that this has passed is, they will review all their options and decide what they think works best for them economically," said David Heylen, a spokesman for the California Grocers Association.

Newsom supported the measure. The switch is scheduled to take effect in six months for grocery stores and in one year for pharmacies.

Craig Noble, a spokesman for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said it would be disappointing if grocers rejected the biodegradable plastic bag option, since more trees would have to be cut down if paper bag use increases.

The new breed of bags "offers consumers a way out of a false choice, a way out of the paper or plastic dilemma," Noble said.

Shoppers Snag Designer Grocery Totes

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — A trip to the grocery store is becoming a lot more fashionable as consumers look to designer totes to bag their greens and express their style.

Hermes, Stella McCartney and Consuelo Castiglioni of Marni are among the top designers now offering reusable shopping bags that are chic and pricey.

The bags give shoppers an alternative to paper or plastic without sacrificing style.

The Silky Pop Hermes bag, which will go on sale in the U.S. this summer, has a price tag of $960. Made of hand-wrought silk, it collapses into a wallet-size pouch of calfskin. Castiglioni's foldable nylon bag retails for $843. The Stella McCartney organic canvas shopper sells for $495.

Reusable shopping bags — which have mostly been confined to farmers' markets and health food co-ops — have increased in popularity as cities consider banning the use of certain plastic bags and encourage shoppers to do more for the environment.

Earlier this year, San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to ban the use of nonbiodegradable plastic grocery bags. Since then, cities from Boston to Berkeley have taken up similar proposals. Los Angeles County is studying options ranging from an outright ban to better education on recycling.

While the designer bags are eye-catching, cheaper totes are also grabbing attention.

Trader Joe's sells a $1.99 bright blue-and-green print polypropylene sack. And the "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" by British handbag designer Anya Hindmarch goes for $15, though it has fetched 10 times that much on the eBay auction Web site.

This month's Vogue magazine urges fashionistas to become more bag-wise: "No loitering, girls," says contributing editor Sarah Mower. "Today, let us go out and harness the power of fashion to change the way the nation shops."

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

OR THEY CAN USE THEIR VERY OWN "I DON'T NEED A BAG" BAG!

EMAIL THIS PAGE TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

When I go out to the supermarket
Every time I go there, well what do I get?
Whatever I buy, no matter how small
They're trying to give me something I don't need at all

I don't need a bag!

If you ask me, well I think it's dumb
To give someone a sack of plastic for gum
And a bag of chips, it's plain to see
Come's in a motherlovin' bag already!

You don't need a bag for a bag!

I don't need a bag if you please
I'm doing my part to save the trees
I don't need a bag baby can't you see
I'm doing my thing for the ecology, economy, biology

Well the supermarket clerk takes what I got
Sticks it in a bag like a funky robot
You think as a customer I'd have some kind of choice
But I've got to scream at the top of my voice:

I DON'T NEED A BAG!

The United States is coming to a stand still
There's no room in the funky landfill
The next time you're in a convenience store
Please think twice before

You ask for a bag. You don't need a bag!

I don't need a bag if you please
I'm doing my part against industrial disease
I don't need a bag baby can't you see
I'm doing my thing for the ecology, economy, biology

From the album Kings of the Soul Punk Swing

Music and lyrics by Steve Moramarco
© Stevetime Music, BMI
Administered by Bug Music

Other sites of interest:

Sustainable Harvest
Recycle Now
National Geographic's The Green Guide