The slogan: "Plastic Bags Blow" The number of plastic bags being used right now and counting...

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I have to say I try so hard to bring my reusable bag with me or not use a bag at all.. and sometimes I get weird looks, especially from the clerks. Today even, I asked a lady to give me ONE bag only.. I had quite a few items and had forgotten my reusable. She put it all in one bag.. . and then proceeded to try and double bag it! I said "One bag, please .. one" and she goes "your corners (of the photo frames) will poke through" and I said "I don't care. Save the plastic. I'm not going very far." For that, I got a dirty look!

And the other day, the clerk was really fast at bagging, and when I asked for "no bag" instead of the bag she put my one item in, she took the item out, handed it to me, crumpled the bag and threw it away. I just stared at her.

We really need to be reprogrammed.

I have to find the interactive ocean photo that shows the particles of plastic. It's pretty horrifying what is happening to all the broken down plastic that makes its way to the water.

I agree. Plastic bags suck. But not all. Biodegradable plastics exist.

For all of our trash bags we now use BioBag

For photos of the plastic in the ocean just Google Pacific Gyre.

Thanks for the leads. Tricky things bio degradable bags. We are researching them for our company. Found this from people who created the counter.
http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=8
Biodegradable shopping bags are made of polymers that degrade, or decompose, when exposed to air, water or sunlight. There are two main types:

1) The original biodegradable bags, introduced about ten years ago, are made from resins containing polyethylene, starches and heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and beryllium. They are still on the market today.

2) About five years ago, a second type was invented using starches combined with biodegradable polymers or polylactic acid. Some of these claim to be fully compostable, meaning that they would break down to organic material suitable for plant growth.

At first glance, they may seem like a good idea, but a closer look reveals significant downsides such as:

Does nothing to address the consumption part of this problem which lies at the heart of this issue. Both biodegradable and regular disposable plastic bags require a similar amount of energy, natural resources and costs to produce.

Mixing of biodegradable bags in recycling systems for conventional plastic bags creates a sorting nightmare and can render entire batches of recyclable plastic useless.

Bag littering could easily increase as people start to believe that biodegradable bags are less harmful to the environment and will disappear quickly it takes at least 18 months for most to breakdown.

The breakdown of starch-based films in water consumes oxygen, resulting in oxygen depletion that contributes to algae blooms and the death of marine life.

Water, soil, and crop contamination could result from the use of compost with chemical residues from biodegraded bags.

That is true I suppose for biodegradable shopping bags. But why would anyone use a biodegradable shopping bag? Anything but "reusable" for that smacks of absurdity to me.

Thanks for the word of caution on bioplastics. I did not know that there was an earlier generation that still used PE.

The BioBags that we use for our trash are PE free. It is such an improvement over conventional plastic that I find the arguments against bioplastics as relatively insignificant. I'd also rather use a bioplastic than a paper bag for the same thing given that paper places more of a demand on forest products.

Given all the fine points made above identifying issues with bio-plastics I think it worth noting that no conventional plastics are recyclable. Recycling implies that you can use the same resource over and over again. All plastic downgrades due to its very very low melting point. Plastic milk jugs for example end up as recycled plastic timbers which can fill in for wood in some (non-structural) uses. But you can't use that stuff again. Thankfully it doesn't rot at the same rate wood does so plastic lumber is a good sink for our plastics. But ultimately it is still just garbage that never goes away. That in my opinion is the main problem with plastic.

THANK YOU. I will share with company. As I posted, we have to find a solution to bags for our clients. And we tried the reusable years ago - flopped. But I plan to look at your links and share your insights.

Do you know of any consultants, expert sites that have good info but aren't selling? This is for shopping bags. We may retry reusable. But for now we're exploring "affordable" biodegradable somethings. Thoughts? Resources in addition to what you already sent? THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Honestly I think shopping bags should just be reusable cloth bags or backpacks etc.... I know that grocery stores are likely to be required to find alternatives to the plastic bag. Many cities have mandates now (such as San Francisco, parts of Oakland, CA did so last year etc...) for grocery stores to use less conventional plastic, but I'm not sure what they can use. I think the best solution would be for a liason between the manufacturers and the market as this is presently a specialized, niche demand. Soon I think these products will be more common. But right now I think most of the bioplastics are produced for trash and compostables - and for the most part used by municipalities.

I would like to know what kind of client you are doing this research for. It would be good to expand my knowledge on this.

Perhaps you could offer your clients bags that are easily carry-able. Target has a bag that folds into a tiny square, easy to carry in a pocket or purse. Camping companies also make them (although more expensive) in nylon that fold into its own pocket. Offering your customers incentives (10% off for using reusable bags) would help.. and education is definately important. Have a special day for those who use reusable, advertise heavily, and maybe it will catch on. I think this is the biggest problem with the new reusable craze. People can easily get them now at walmart or kroger and they're cheap, however they are not easy to remember to bring and once people get them there isn't an outside incentive for them to be used, unless that person is environmentally concious. It is a paradigm shift that needs to happen, if we are to lessen consumption.

Thanks. You are so right about education. Some stores do the carrot - incentive. Others do the stick - pay for the plastic. Disincentive. Maybe both over time. I researched more and biodegradables for stores just isn't an option that I've found. I am waiting to hear from some. But they are for people like me who would compost the doggie poop bags.

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