Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Nov 01, 2009
Here's a video from Capitol News Service. The report tells us that Florida could be the first state in the nation with a plastic shopping bag ban. Their Department of Environmental Protection has developed a five year plan that would either ban the bags or charge a fee for their use.
Good segment about the free market influence; a local food coop removed plastic bags as an option in order to raise awareness.
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Oct 29, 2009
Press Release
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Today non-profit, government and business groups joined together to kick off the "Got Your Bags?" campaign - a public education and outreach effort aimed at encouraging Californians to use reusable bags for shopping and bring plastic bags back to the store for recycling.
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Oct 28, 2009
CVS pharmacy has come up with a clever program to encourage shoppers to cut down on the use of single-use plastic bags. They've introduced the GreenBagTag which pays back their ExtraCare program members for declining plastic bags when making a purchase. The GreenBagTag is available for purchase at any CVS store, all of which participate in the program. There's no charge to join the ExtraCare program, which gives 2% back on most store purchases.
Here's how it works: The GreenBagTag, which costs 99 cents, is scanned at checkout along with the ExtraCare card every time a customer uses a reusable bag (or carries out without taking a plastic bag). On every fourth scan, the tag holder receives a $1.00 credit that can be used on most store products.
"CVS/pharmacy is committed to improving the lives of the people and communities we serve, and that inc
ludes helping all our customers adopt more eco-friendly practices," said Bari Harlam, Vice President of Marketing for CVS/pharmacy. "We have a long history of rewarding our customers with incentives that are both convenient and beneficial to their well-being. Our new GreenBagTag program provides an easy way for shoppers to take a small step in going green, while also receiving Extra Bucks as a 'Thank you!' for joining us in making an impact in the fight to reduce waste from disposable plastic bags."
Another laudable aspect of the program is the fact that the GreenBagTags are made with corn-based material and 100% recycled silicone. It's also packaged in 100% recycled paper.
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Sep 22, 2009
Had
savetheplasticbag.com put forth only reasonable and provable arguments in support of plastic shopping bags, the site would be more helpful to those that wish to make good decisions in the "paper vs. plastic" debate. But then, we'd be deprived of the tragi-comic relief that it provides us with through its faulty logic and incomplete assumptions. That the nature of the site is based solely on the "paper vs. plastic" issue leads us to question whether it is built on ignorance, distraction, or both.
The problem with the question of "paper or plastic" is that it's a
false dilemma; the assumption that one must choose from two alternatives, when in fact there are other viable options. In their
Table of Advantages page, the exclusion of reusable shopping bags as a choice renders the comparisons practically unusable. Of course savetheplasticbag.com has an agenda, as do we. But it's intellectually dishonest to dismiss in full the reusable bag. And no, stating that plastic shopping bags are reusable doesn't count!
In future posts, we'll analyze the Table of Advantages line-by-line, including the reusable bag alternative.
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Aug 19, 2009
Strike up another victory for the plastic bag lobby. The city of Seattle was to begin a 20 cent fee per non-reusable plastic or paper bag distributed at the checkout counter beginning January 1. The deep-pocketed Progressive Bag Affiliates, which "promotes the responsible use, reuse, recycling and disposal of pastic bags" (huh?), pumped $1.4 million into a campaign to bring the issue to a referendum. The law was voted down by the people today.
Progressive Bag Affiliates and savetheplasticbag dotcom (I won't link to them here) have been chasing down proposed "plasti-taxes" and bag bans across the country, helping to get many of them overturned. "Save the Plastic Bag" has launched a strange-logic campaign based on comparisons between plastic and paper bags, with little or no mention of reusable bags in their analyses.
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Aug 18, 2009
Plastic bag ban update:
The Hartford Courant recently reported that Fairfield is a step closer to enacting a ban on plastic shopping bags. The town board will be voting next week on an ordinance that was passed unanimously by the Reusable Bag Ordinance Committee.
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Aug 07, 2009
The Highland Park News reported yesterday on a public hearing over a proposed citywide ban on plastic foam packaging and single use plastic bags. Local restaurant and retail owners spoke out, claiming that such a law would place undue economic hardship on their businesses. 
Claiming that (unspecified) "alternative" packaging would cost three times more than current materials, one restaurant owner stated "I'm afraid if we raise our prices we're just going to drive people to the bordering communities where (those restaurants) don't have these pass-through expenses." Other opponents said that any new required containers would create the same litter problems, and advocated for better recycling programs.
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Dec 16, 2008
Press Release, Dec. 13 2008
Governor David A. Paterson today announced he has signed legislation to increase the collection and recycling of plastic carryout bags. Under the new law, A.11725 (Sweeney)/S.8643-A (Marcellino), which will require collection and recycling to begin on January 1, 2009, retail establishments with more than 10,000 square feet of retail space, or those that are part of a chain with more than five stores (each with more than 5,000 square feet of retail space), must provide bins for the collection of used plastic carryout bags, recycle the returned bags, and keep records for three years describing the amount of plastic bags collected and recycled.
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Sep 22, 2008
From the Honolulu Advertiser (September 20):
"Big Island acting mayor Dixie Kaetsu yesterday vetoed a bill that would have banned plastic bags, citing "philosophical issues" and concerns over the measure's language on public involvement."
Posted by: johnny_a
in MyBlog on Sep 02, 2008
The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ), the state-owned corporation responsible for the trade of alcoholic beverages in the Canadian province of Quebec, moved ahead today with its plan to charge customers for single-use bags in its outlets. Customers who now ask for a paper or plastic single-use bag will have to pay five cents for a one-bottle bag, ten cents for a two-bottle bag, and fifteen cents for a four-bottle bag.
According to SAQ, in a press release dated August 28, this measure marks the beginning of a transition phase that will prepare its customers for the total elimination of single-use bags in January 2009. SAQ adds that proceeds from the sale of the bags will be donated to an organization that works in the field of sustainable development.
