Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Aug 30, 2008
Outdoor sports columnist Frank Sousa wrote this pointed column about the United States' falling behind third world countries regarding policies on plastic shopping bags. It turns out that we are behind Bangladesh and Botswana, both of which have plastic bag bans in effect.
What I like about this piece is that it's honest and from the heart. Sousa helps us see that we don't need statistics, scientific data on the degradable properties of plastic bags, or politics to just know when we are doing something that benefits our Earth.
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Aug 26, 2008
Stephen Joseph, counsel for savetheplasticbag.com, provides his counterpoints to a proposed 25 cent fee for all plastic and paper bags used by consumers in the state of California in his op-ed piece in today's LA Times.
I've never heard of the fact that plastic bags don't decompose in the landfills referred to as "a blessing", but Joseph manages to work it into this article. This is a rather comical statement coming from one that accuses his opponents on the issue of spreading "misinformation".
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Aug 23, 2008
Add another city to the list of those that are helping to eliminate the waste of plastic bags that are just dumped in the landfills. Does anyone old enough to remember know how we possible could have gotten along without these things thirty years ago?
From the Pacific Business News-
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Aug 22, 2008
Those 99 cent reusable shopping bags that you can buy in the supermarkets and big-box stores look nice with their brightly-colored "fabric". They're also a great impulse buy, positioned right at the checkout lines.
Sure, reusing these non-woven polypropylene (plastic) bags is better than taking the filmy plastic bags and throwing them out right away. But what's going to happen when they get torn up by the kids or family dog, break, or just plain get thrown out?
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Aug 21, 2008
Only about 4% of plastic bags used in the U.S. end up being recycled. We congratulate Trex, the recycled deck components manufacturer, for providing Solana Beach, CA with a baling machine that will compress plastic bags left off in municipal recycle bins into tidy 50 lb. bales. After picking up the first 30,000 lbs., Trex will pay the city fifteen cents per lb. for the plastic.
Kudos too, to Edco, Solana Beach's commercial waste hauler, for transporting the bags from the recycle bins to the city public works yard (where they'll be compacted), for no charge.
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Aug 20, 2008
Press release from Seattle City Council dated 7/28/08:
SEATTLE – The Council today broke new ground by making Seattle the first city in the nation to encourage its residents to curtail the use of disposable bags and instead utilize reusable options by imposing a fee on disposable shopping bags. A separate ordinance also bans expanded polystyrene food containers. Council President Conlin said, “These new laws are an integral part of the City’s Zero Waste strategy-- and translating Seattle’s environmental values into concrete actions. They will help marine life, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and move our City toward a sustainable future.”
