Putting a Dent in Plastic
As our search continues at the farm for a viable replacement for the plastic bags we use, I decided to see what I could do to help eliminate the plastic bags our family uses off the farm as well. In some areas we were fine- we don't buy sandwich bags or any small kind like that. I'll admit I haven't attempted to replace the plastic trash bags we line our kitchen trash can with yet either, but I had to start somewhere, and I started with the plastic grocery bag.
It is amazing when you start to observe how these bags sneak into nearly every household in the United States in massive numbers, especially considering they've only been around for 30 years. Here are some disturbing facts collected from reusablebags.com:
According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion)
Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in coastal cleanups, according to the nonprofit Center for Marine Conservation.
Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade—breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.
100 Billion shopping bags a year! Yikes! What can we do about it? My own research unfortunately discovered that any kind of disposable bag option that isn't made of plastic is nearly 10 times more expensive. Obviously most retailers aren't willing to take that kind of step, even if it is better for the environment. There is another large-scale option however: In 2002, Ireland introduced a plastic bag tax, or PlasTax. For every plastic bag given to a consumer at a store, the customer was charged 15 cents. The goal was to raise the awareness of the consumer and to encourage them to reuse bags. The tax was hugely successful, cutting consumption of plastic bags by a staggering 90%! All the tax money (9.6 million dollars) went in to a green fund set up to benefit the environment. Another bonus for our petroleum dependent world: an estimated 18,000,000 liters (4,755,097 gallons) of oil were saved due to decreased production of bags. Now I'm no statistics expert, but according to my own basic calculations, if the U.S. were to cut plastic bag rates by 90%, we would be saving around 40 million gallons of oil! Until such a wonder-bill gets introduced, I'm afraid it's up to us, the individual consumer, to try to make a difference. This brings me back to my own personal family quest:
After my statistical enlightenment, my next step was to assemble myself a reusable bag kit. I went around and gathered up all the canvas totes hiding in various nooks and crannies in the house. It surprised me how many I already owned- one from the library's summer reading program, a mesh beach-type bag from my mom, 2 of our own 14 Acre Farm canvas bags, two that came with hand-me-downs. I threw in a small soft cooler/lunch kit and I was ready!
The next part is where the challenge began- I had to remember to bring them with me AND bring them into the store. I'll admit, they lived in the car for a little while before I got this far. My first shopping trip with them was at the Giant (we'll save the eliminating the grocery store out of our lives article for another time-baby steps!). I stuffed the 3 largest bags full to the top in the self-serve aisle. They were absurdly heavy, but I managed to get them out of the cart and into the trunk. I made a mental note about being cautious not to over-fill them next time. Since then I also learned the secret of the self-serve area from my friend Diane- put the bags in the bag area first, then have the clerk re-set the scale. It will save aggravation for all involved. Despite these minor inconveniences, it was SO EASY to deal with my groceries! No more struggling with 20+ little plastic bags, all ripping and with things falling out of them. Just 1-2-3 done! Unloading was the same. This was great!
Next grocery store visit, I went to Redner's. I proudly displayed my own bags. The clerk didn't seem to get it. She questioned "So you want to put ALL of your groceries in those bags? You don't want ANY plastic bags?" I assured her that yes, was planning on using all of my own bags. The woman checking out in the aisle next to me was obviously feeling a bit defensive about her use of plastic bags. She began a litany aimed at her clerk about environmentalists and who has time and what do they want from us, etc etc. Obviously not everybody is ready for the PlasTax, but I like to think positive-maybe next time she'll be more aware of how many bags she's using. When I got to the car to unload my bags, I discovered that the clerk just couldn't take no for an answer and had taken it upon herself to put the tortilla chips and yogurt in a plastic bag in one of the canvas bags. I guess some habits are hard to break.
Now that I've gotten the hang of the grocery stores, I've been trying to remember my own bag for other stores as well. This one is harder for some reason. In fact, just this week I forgot to put my bags back in the car before a big errand run, and wound up with several more plastic bags. Two steps forward, one step back.
Besides remembering them, the other major challenge is to catch the clerk before the stuff starts getting tossed in the plastic. I've been stuck with a few bags because I was too polite to say anything after they already started bagging. My newest trick is to place my bags first on the belt, before my purchases. Then I can explain myself while stalling them.
It is commonly said that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. I have a feeling that once this month is up, I'll be a whiz at reusing bags. Now to tackle those trash bags and finally figure out something for the farm...
It is amazing when you start to observe how these bags sneak into nearly every household in the United States in massive numbers, especially considering they've only been around for 30 years. Here are some disturbing facts collected from reusablebags.com:
According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion)
Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in coastal cleanups, according to the nonprofit Center for Marine Conservation.
Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade—breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.
100 Billion shopping bags a year! Yikes! What can we do about it? My own research unfortunately discovered that any kind of disposable bag option that isn't made of plastic is nearly 10 times more expensive. Obviously most retailers aren't willing to take that kind of step, even if it is better for the environment. There is another large-scale option however: In 2002, Ireland introduced a plastic bag tax, or PlasTax. For every plastic bag given to a consumer at a store, the customer was charged 15 cents. The goal was to raise the awareness of the consumer and to encourage them to reuse bags. The tax was hugely successful, cutting consumption of plastic bags by a staggering 90%! All the tax money (9.6 million dollars) went in to a green fund set up to benefit the environment. Another bonus for our petroleum dependent world: an estimated 18,000,000 liters (4,755,097 gallons) of oil were saved due to decreased production of bags. Now I'm no statistics expert, but according to my own basic calculations, if the U.S. were to cut plastic bag rates by 90%, we would be saving around 40 million gallons of oil! Until such a wonder-bill gets introduced, I'm afraid it's up to us, the individual consumer, to try to make a difference. This brings me back to my own personal family quest:
After my statistical enlightenment, my next step was to assemble myself a reusable bag kit. I went around and gathered up all the canvas totes hiding in various nooks and crannies in the house. It surprised me how many I already owned- one from the library's summer reading program, a mesh beach-type bag from my mom, 2 of our own 14 Acre Farm canvas bags, two that came with hand-me-downs. I threw in a small soft cooler/lunch kit and I was ready!
The next part is where the challenge began- I had to remember to bring them with me AND bring them into the store. I'll admit, they lived in the car for a little while before I got this far. My first shopping trip with them was at the Giant (we'll save the eliminating the grocery store out of our lives article for another time-baby steps!). I stuffed the 3 largest bags full to the top in the self-serve aisle. They were absurdly heavy, but I managed to get them out of the cart and into the trunk. I made a mental note about being cautious not to over-fill them next time. Since then I also learned the secret of the self-serve area from my friend Diane- put the bags in the bag area first, then have the clerk re-set the scale. It will save aggravation for all involved. Despite these minor inconveniences, it was SO EASY to deal with my groceries! No more struggling with 20+ little plastic bags, all ripping and with things falling out of them. Just 1-2-3 done! Unloading was the same. This was great!
Next grocery store visit, I went to Redner's. I proudly displayed my own bags. The clerk didn't seem to get it. She questioned "So you want to put ALL of your groceries in those bags? You don't want ANY plastic bags?" I assured her that yes, was planning on using all of my own bags. The woman checking out in the aisle next to me was obviously feeling a bit defensive about her use of plastic bags. She began a litany aimed at her clerk about environmentalists and who has time and what do they want from us, etc etc. Obviously not everybody is ready for the PlasTax, but I like to think positive-maybe next time she'll be more aware of how many bags she's using. When I got to the car to unload my bags, I discovered that the clerk just couldn't take no for an answer and had taken it upon herself to put the tortilla chips and yogurt in a plastic bag in one of the canvas bags. I guess some habits are hard to break.
Now that I've gotten the hang of the grocery stores, I've been trying to remember my own bag for other stores as well. This one is harder for some reason. In fact, just this week I forgot to put my bags back in the car before a big errand run, and wound up with several more plastic bags. Two steps forward, one step back.
Besides remembering them, the other major challenge is to catch the clerk before the stuff starts getting tossed in the plastic. I've been stuck with a few bags because I was too polite to say anything after they already started bagging. My newest trick is to place my bags first on the belt, before my purchases. Then I can explain myself while stalling them.
It is commonly said that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. I have a feeling that once this month is up, I'll be a whiz at reusing bags. Now to tackle those trash bags and finally figure out something for the farm...
posted by Sara at
7:27 AM
8 Comments:
I, too, have a ton of plastic bags and I'd LOVE to kick the habbit. My sister-in-law gave me a great tote bag actually made from plastic bags! Here neighbor makes them, they're awesome, and waterproof! And I get a TON of compliments on it. Mine doesn't look just like this, but here's some instrustions for a similar bag: http://tinyurl.com/bv9l9
Bravo Sara,
We too have had stares at the grocery store. My husband and I with our two children would walk to the Acme with our BACKPACKS and various cloth bags. Sometimes we would overdue it with groceries and oohh our poor aching backs. I am so happy to hear someone else who does not buy plastic bags. We reuse cereal bags and they work great. In fact, those cereal bags are stronger then Charles Atlas. Keep us posted on your plastic bag saga. It sure is fun reading your posts.
Charlotte
When I lived in Hoboken, we didn't have a car and we always took our backpacks to the grocery store, it really does make life so much easier. No one blinks an eye in the city, they get used to people creating all sorts of rigging to get their groceries home!
My friends will be receiving knitted cotton string bags for Christmas for shopping. May I have permission to print out your essay from your blog to include with their bags? If not, I understand. Most of my friends are very environmentally conscious and would appreciate your experiences.
Thank you. Beth
I just read this article in Organic Gardening magazine. What I've done for many years is to double my paper bags and take those to the store for my groceries. The stores used to pay you for bringing in your own bags, but no more (at least not Giant), but I still do it. When the bags wear out for grocery I just use them for my newspapers occassionally. Normaly I tie up my newspapers and magazines with twine, both fresh and recycled from the garden's trellises. Anyway, good things do not happen overnight.
About those trash can bags. I don't line any waste baskets in the house, except for the kitchen trash container. For that, I do what my mother did in the days before plastic bags-- I line it with newspaper. It takes a bit of practice to create a liner that doesn't come apart when you take the trash out, but it is easy to fold and wrap for placement in the trash can. For wet materials that cannot be used in compost, I collect them in a cardboard milk carton. All easily disposable, and more biodegradable than plastic.
I just read your article in Organic Gardening and was surprised at how parallel our decision and action plans were. Carrying my bags into the store, by keeping them in my trunk has become a habit that I am proud or. In addition to this I have switched to Biobags for my compost pail, kitchen trash can and to dispose of my kitty litter (which is Sweatscoop). I would suggest that Biobags would be a good soluion in your quest for trash bags, and they have carrier bags that would be perfect for your farm customers. Best wishes.
I read your article in Organic Gardening and loved it! Great statistics about plastic and the harm it does. As I look around my house I realize how much plastic we have! I've been using canvas bags for awhile now and love how much I can pack in them. My dilemma is how to avoid bringing in plastic that comes with most food and consumer products these days as well as the trash bags - not sure if using paper bags would tax our forests and off set the benefits.
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