Ways To Refuse Plastic Bags While Shopping

Does this ever happen to you? You pop into the grocery store to pick up a few items for dinner. You load your items onto the belt and as the transaction in front of you finishes up you start digging in your purse to find your reusable bag.

Yes, I have to dig, my purse isn't even that big, but inevitably my bag falls to the bottom or gets pushed to one side so it takes a minute for me to find it. Don't even get my started on my keys which have a magical ability to bury down to the bottom of the purse within 2 minutes.

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You pull out your bag the transaction finishes so you move up to the area where you pay. You then notice that the cashier has already started ringing up your items and placed them in a plastic bag. What do you do? Do you take the bag? Do you refuse it?

Cashiers are so quick! You either have to alert them that you want a reusable bag by placing it at the front of your items on the belt or catch them in the belt-scan-bag act. Hubby and I have got good at saying "we don't need a bag" as we notice their arm pass the scanner towards the plastic bags.

So today I'm going to offer up fun and practical ways to refuse the plastic bags.

• The world uses one trillion bags each year, I'm trying to do my part to reduce that.
• 5 minutes in the bag, forever in the landfill.
• I'm worried about the mermaids.
• I've got so many plastic bags at home I don't need any more. 
• I carried it up here without a bag.
• I'm just running it out to the car.
• I don't want a sea turtle to confuse it with a jelly fish.
• I don't need a bag, I brought my own.
• I'm going to use/eat it now.
• My reusable bag carries more.
• We're trying to reduce our plastic use.
• I brought my reusable bag.
• I don't need another thing to recycle.
• I feel guilty because I learned about a whale who died from eating plastic bags.
• I prefer not to use things that can only be downcycled, not recycled. 
• I don't need my meat in a separate bag, I wash them. 

And finally:

• No thank you, I don't need a bag. 

Please remember that cashiers are just trying to do their job. Being efficient is how they succeed. So recognize that you might be messing with their flow or they don't feel the same way about plastic bags as you. So gauge your audience when you try some of these and always remember to be polite.

How do you refuse the bags?

If you are looking for more alternatives to plastic bags check out my post talking about different kinds of reusable bags and some out of the box alternatives.

Or if you want to know about my favorite reusable bag check out this post.

SkipTheBag Month: March

Are you tired of dealing with a mountain of plastic bags after your grocery shop? Do you feel guilty about the fact that the plastic bag you just used for 10 minutes will never degrade and could harm wildlife? Do you want to switch to reusable bags, but feel like you are the only person doing it?

Well you are in luck. March 2017 has been declared #SkipTheBag Month! For this month the goal is to refuse all single use plastic bags. No more bags at the grocery store, farmer's market, clothing store, hardware store, home store, restaurant take out, or anywhere else where plastic bags are lurking.

Together we will help make an environmental impact on reducing plastic consumption and by sharing on social media we will encourage others to make the change too.

They say it takes 21 days to change a habit, so by the end of March we should have ended our plastic bag consumption for good!

How to participate in #SkipTheBag Month?

1. Sign up for emails. I will be sending out articles and tips once a week during the month to help motivate and encourage you. 
2. Follow @SkipTheBag on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook 
3. Skip the bag! When you are out don’t accept plastic bag. Use a reusable bag, paper bag, pillowcase or just hand carry the items. How you transport the items is less important than refusing the plastic bag. 
4. Spread the word. Share your achievements and challenges using the hashtag #SkipTheBag. 
5. Feel great knowing you did something good for the environment and entered to win some great products. 

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First State to Ban Plastic Bags

With the passage of California's plastic bag ban last month I've been seeing several reports stating that California was the first state to pass a plastic bag ban. Now as you know, Hawaii's plastic bag ban was completed in July 2015. So how are all these people getting it wrong?

First, California was the first state to pass a statewide ban on plastic bags. It was passed back in 2014 with an anticipated start July 1, 2015. However it was put on hold and was sent back to voters this past November. Remember Propositions 65 and 67? Well Prop 67 passed so a state wide ban went into effect. Many people didn't realize that it went into effect the day after the election so stores started initiating the 10 cent fee. I mean, why wouldn't they!?! Prop 65 failed so all money raised from the bag fee goes to the store (unlike Washington, DC's bag fee).

So where does that place Hawaii? Well as of July 1, 2015 plastic bags were banned in 4 of the 5 counties in Hawaii, an essentially de facto statewide ban. They were first banned in Maui and Kauai Counties in January 2011 and then banned in Hawaii County (the Big Island) in January 2013. Finally Honolulu County (Oahu) brought up the rear with their ban beginning July 2015. Kalawao County, which covers a small portion of the island of Molokai and has a population of less than 100, has not officially passed a plastic bag ban. Furthermore there has not been one cohesive legislation passed at the state level banning the bags.

So, on a technicality, I guess I've been wrong, and will allow California to claim the prize of having the first statewide ban on plastic bags.

Do you live somewhere that has a ban bag or is it illegal like in Florida? Or does it not matter because you #skipthebag anyway?

California Plastic Bag Initiatves: Proposition 65 and 67

This November Californians will have an opportunity to vote on two initiatives that will impact plastic bag use in the state.

The first, Proposition 67, would enact a single-use plastic bag ban similar to that in Hawaii. However the California initiative goes a step further and would mandate an at least $0.10 charge on stores which give away reusable paper or plastic bags. Remember one of the inadvertent consequences of the Hawaii bag ban was that stores were still giving away plastic bags, they were just THICKER plastic bags which were classified as "reusable". Having this charge would mean there was an additional disincentive to use the bags provided. If Proposition 67 is passed it will be similar to the plastic bag tax in New York and all money collected from the sale of bags would be kept by the store.

However proposition 65, the other plastic bag proposition on the ballot, would vote to change that. This vote says that if a fee is required, the money no longer goes to the store, but rather would go to specified environmental programs, which is what Washington DC does with the money collected on it's bag tax.

The concern with Proposition 65 passing is that if it collects more votes there is some fear that it may negate the plastic bag ban in locations that do not already have it. There are also concerns that the money will not actually to go help environmental causes.

Since both of these propositions are on the ballot and they are interrelated there is a chance that one or both will pass leading to different outcomes. However, any either is passed it would still be better than what we have in Florida where bag bans and fees are illegal.

If Proposition 67 and 65 both pass, the proposition with the most votes will take precedence. If Proposition 67 receives the most votes there will be a plastic bag ban and the money will be retained by the grocer.  If Proposition 65 passes with the greater number of votes money collected from the continued sale of plastic bags would go to a newly created environmental fund.

However if only one passes, or neither passes there can be some interesting changes.

If Prop 67 passes, but Prop 65 does not: There will be a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags, and money obtained by the sale of bags will be retained by the grocer.

If Prop 65 passes, but Prop 67 does not: There is no statewide ban. Any revenue created from future propositions will go into a environmental fund.

Opponents to proposition 67 say that it will amount to a hidden tax on consumers to simply pad the pockets of the grocery and other stores who collect the fee. Opponents to proposition 65 say it was started from out of state plastic bag manufacturers who don't want to initiate any real environmental change.

Many groups in California, including the Surfrider Foundation, are recommending a Yes vote on Prop 67 and a No vote on Prop 65.

What do you think about the rival plastic bag initiatives? Remember it doesn't take a law to #SkipTheBag!

Shared on Simply Natural Saturday, Sustainable Sunday, Homesteader Hop, Waste Less Wednesday

Plastic Bag Facts

There are a lot of scary things about plastic bags. Unfortunately the scariest part are how many we use and the negative effects of them. So if you need some more motivation to #skipthebag here it is!

Usage

• 1 trillion bags are used worldwide annually. That is 1,000,000,000,000 bags each year. Thats over 31,000 per second.¹
• The US uses roughly 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually.¹
• The average American family uses 1,500 plastic bags a year.²

Recycling

• 14% of of plastic packaging is recycled.²
• No more than 5 percent of plastic grocery bags were recycled across the country in 2005, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.2

Pollution

• California spends $428 Million each year to clean up plastic trash and debris from waterways.²
• Between 5.3 and 14 million tons of plastic is put into the ocean per year. 9 million tons is the equivalent of 5 plastic bags full of plastic on every foot of coastline in the world.²
• Plastic bags are consitently in the top 10 pieces of trash collected on beaches around the world.They estimate there have been over 10 million bags picked up during Ocean Conservatory beach clean up efforts.3
• Plastic bags were the second most impactful item to marine wildlife (behind fishing gear) due to the tendency of animals such as sea turtles to mistake them for food. 3

1.Earth Policy Organization http://www.earth-policy.org/press_room/C68/plastic_bags_fact_sheet
2. Natural Resources Defense Council https://www.nrdc.org/
3. Ocean Convervancy http://www.oceanconservancy.org/

Shared on Pretty Pintastic Party, Friday Favorites, Home Matters, Sustainable Sundays, Homesteader Hop

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5 Simple Swaps to Reduce Waste

1. Skip single use plastic bags.

World wide there are one trillion plastic bags are used annually. That's trillion with a T each year! Join the #skipthebag movement by refusing single use plastic bags. There are a number of alternatives to plastic bags so you are sure to find something you like.

2. Get a reusable waterbottle.

Americans use 2.5 million water bottles every hour. Get a refillable* waterbottle to save all that plastic waste! Besides it may not be any safer than tap water. 

3. Use a travel coffee mug.

This is the mug* my husband uses. He regularly raves about how great it is. His mother also has one that she loves, actually his was a gift from her when he was about to embark on his cross country drive to move to Florida. My favorite part (since I don't drink coffee) is that every time he uses it there is one less disposable cup going to a landfill.

4. Say no to straws.  

Especially living in the South I have noticed how they give you a straw for everything. However it is very easy to say "no, thank you" and refuse the plastic straws. If you just have to have a straw I would like to recommend some alternatives made of metal, bamboo or paper*. 

5. Avoid plastic silverware. 

Many people carry a set of flatware* to avoid situations where they would need to use plastic silverware (again some are made of bamboo* or even are biodegradable*). It helps prevent issues where you have to use a plastic spoon because you don't have one.

These are all simple swaps that you can make that will have a large impact on the amount of plastic you consume over the course of a year.

*This is an affiliate links, see disclosure.

Shared on Homesteader Hop, Pretty Pintastic Party, Friday Favorites, Home Matters , Sustainable Sundays
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We Can All Do Better

There, I said it: We can all do better.

We could consume items that have less plastic, are more organic, more local, less waste or more sustainable, but rather than focusing on things we aren't doing I'd like to see us be proud of what we are doing.

In a few short days Plastic Free July will start. Have you signed up? I'm not affiliated with it, but I did sign up to participate. I hope you start the month off very motivated and prepared, but at some point you will stumble.

Maybe you decide to make an impromptu stop at a grocery store and don't have your reusable bags. Or maybe you forget your water bottle at work and have to buy a bottle of water at the baseball field. There will be stumbles, but I encourage you to focus on the positive. Celebrate all the little decisions you make toward a less wasteful life.

So whether you are just starting on your journey or have been zero waste for 10 years, let's be satisfied and proud of how far we have come and continue to go.

Did you think this was going to be a lecture on doing more? ;)

Alternatives to Plastic Grocery Bags

You know some of the dangers of plastic bags, and read about my reusable bag journey, but there are a number of alternatives to getting the plastic grocery bag from the store. Here we'll discuss some pros and cons of each.

Paper Bag

Paper bags are a great alternative to plastic bags. Many grocery stores still carry them, but you generally have to ask. When I forget my reusable bags, or purchase more items than will fit in my bag(s), I ask for paper. Unfortunately paper bags actually use more energy than plastic bags to produce, but they are readily recyclable, compostable, or reusable.

Square reusable bag

This is the style of reusable bag I had started with (these are adorable!*). They are generally very sturdy and hold a large number of groceries, some of them even have plastic sheets to reinforce the bottom of the bag. The negatives to them are that they are made from plastic, and generally not a recyclable form of plastic. They also are quite bulky to transport when not being used. I was always forgetting to put them in my car so I never had them with me! However many people find great success with this style of reusable bag.

Fold up reusable bag

This is the style I predominately use now. I love that it can fold up and fit in my purse. When they are folded it is roughly the size of a glasses case. I am continually impressed with how much a single bag can carry. Some downsides are that it is still made of non-recyclable plastic, however there are some companies which allow you to send the bag back to the company for them to recycle. They have so many cute alternatives now including a dog, rose, pattern or plain*.

Cotton bag

This is the first entirely plastic-free alternative! If made with 100% cotton there is no plastic. If the bag breaks or rips you could turn it into rags or even just throw it into the garden to decompose (though I bet this would take a while!). Since it is made from a growing plant it does take quite a bit of energy to produce, but given the life of the bag, and possibilities for reusing it, you can overcome it. However they can come in many different designs*. I really like this pineapple one*!

Backpack

This may be a little unconventional, but most people have a backpack* laying around. If you know you aren't going to be purchasing many items you can just put it in the backpack. This also allows you to keep your arms free to carry more items. Just remember to put the heavy items on the bottom and eggs and bread on top! I actually used a backpack several times when living at my old house when I would bike to the grocery store. I could fit the groceries on my back and have my hands free for important things like steering. I have tried to hang the bags from the handle bars before, but let me tell you, it is much safer to use a backpack!

Pillow case

I can't say that I've done this, or seen anyone do this. However, why couldn't it be done?! Kids use them on Halloween. Most people have them laying around their house and they can fit quite a lot. Besides, the bags are really only used to keep items together while transporting them out to the car and then back into the house, we don't need to make a huge fashion statement. An added bonus is that pillow cases* are easily cleaned if soiled.

T-shirt bag

Another idea I've seen is converting an old t-shirt into a bag. You can help save the planet and show your support for your favorite athletics team or band. Here is a no-sew tutorial and here is one if you have some sewing skills.

This is my list of traditional and less traditional alternatives to plastic grocery bags. Are you participating in the #skipthebag challenge? What do you use?

*This is an affiliate links, see disclosure.

Review: The Plastic Purge

This posts contains affiliate links, for which I may receive a commission, but the price to you remains unchanged. See disclosures for more information. 

I found Michael SanClements's book Plastic Purge while looking for another book at the library. Technically the full name is Plastic Purge: How to Use Less Plastic, Eat Better, Keep Toxins Out of Your Body and Help Save the Sea Turtles*! 

I was not familiar with Michael SanCelements prior to reading this book. He was is known for writing about his experiences trying to go without using plastic for two weeks on Grist.com. However he is also an ecologist and scientist at the National Ecological Obervatory Network. While trying to go plastic free he realized how ubiquitous plastic is and it sparked this book. The book is divided into four parts: a history of plastic, how it is made and recycled, describing the good, bad, and ugly of plastic and then tips on how to purge plastic. 

The first two sections could easily become too technical, but he does a good job describing the processes in ways that make sense and are entertaining. I knew that different numbers of plastic meant they were different kinds of plastic, but I didn't fully understand that I could use those numbers to my advantage. For example, numbers 3 (PVC) and 6 (polystyrene) have the highest risk of leaching toxins particularly during heating. Whereas number 2 (HDPE) has a low risk of leaching.

The author also weaves in many statistics about plastic bag production, recycling and use and encourages you to think critically about the statistics you hear. For example there was a study done by the UK Centre for Environment that found you have to reuse a cotton bag 173 times to match the energy saving of a plastic bag. Which makes one question why we are encouraging people #skipthebag. However, he also mentions that nonwoven polypropylene bags only need to be reused 4 times. Similarly he points out that cotton bags are renewable, hold more items and are sturdy enough to hold up to those 173 uses. 

In the third section he categorizes plastic as good, bag and ugly. He recognizes and gives tribute to the achievements our society has been able to reach due to the advent of plastic. Sterile health care products, refrigerated trucks, computers, cell phones and cars. However he feels we have become too reliant on plastic and it has moved into 'bad' and 'ugly' categories. Bad categories are due to the fact that many plastics leach pthalates and BPA which have been associated with health problems. Finally the ugly has to do with the pollution caused by plastics. 

Part four is full of tips on how to minimize the use of plastic in your day-to-day life. It ranks the tips from one bottle (easy to do) up to three bottles (a little more challenging). He is pretty thoughtful about his recommendations. Take milk for example, he says that glass bottles are best, but the next best thing would be the plastic milk jugs and not the "cardboard" half gallons. This is because the plastic milk jugs are HDPE so are less likely to leach into the milk and are easily recyclable. However the cardboard containers are coated inside and out with plastic, which have a potential to leach toxins and are generally not very recyclable. 

I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to know more about plastic and to get some tips on how to minimize it in your life. And his first recommendation for using less plastic at the grocery store is to #skipthebag. 

Have you read this book? What did you think?

*This is an affiliate link, see disclosures.

Shared on Waste Less Wednesday 

DC vs NYC: Plastic Bag Edition

New York City Council recently passed a bag fee, however Washington, DC has had a similar bag fee for many years. As you may have in my previous post, the program in Washington, DC, has had a big impact and I hope that the NYC bag fee will have a large impact as well. However, the two programs have some differences.

Implementation:

Washington, DC (DC): The bag fee was started January 1, 2010.

New York City (NYC):  Council passed the bag fee May 5, 2016 and it is set to begin in October 2016. 

Products the fee applies to:

DC: It requires all businesses that sell food or alcohol to charge a fee for each disposable paper or plastic bag distributed with any purchase. Restaurants with seating are exempt from the requirement. So doggie bags are still allowed for leftovers. The law also requires that paper and plastic bags sold have specific requirements such as being recyclable.

NYC: The bag fee applies to carryout bags from a wide range of retailers including grocery stores, hardware stores, pharmacies, apparel stores, office stores and home stores. Mobile food vendors, food pantries or liquor stores complying with the law about selling alcohol for consumption off the premise. 

The fee and where the money goes: 

DC: The fee is 5 cents for each bag. Businesses retain 1 cent. They can retain 2 cents if they encourage the use of reusable bags. The remaining 3-4 cents goes to The Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Fund which has helped with stream restoration, education and outreach and trash collection traps to prevent trash from reaching the waterways. 

NYC: The fee is at least 5 cents per bag. Earlier versions of the bill had 10 cents, but the final bill was passed stating at least 5 cents. So it appears that stores may charge more than 5 cents if they wish. The fee goes to the store owners. 

Exclusions 

DC: There are several exclusions on what constitutes a disposable carryout bag including the plastic bags used for produce or meat, doggie bags from restaurants, and bags from pharmacies. There is no exclusion for those with a low income, but the law did have provisions for them to be given reusable bags. 

NYC: The law has similar exemptions on what constitutes a carry out bag including meat/produce bags and those from a pharmacy. Patrons on WIC or SNAP benefits are exempt from the fee as are food pantries and restaurants who deliver food. There is also a provision allowing low income households to be prioritized in receiving reusable bags. 

The goal: 

DC: To clean up the Anacostia River and move DC residents away from plastic bags to reusable bags.

NYC: To minimize environmental impact of plastic bags and to get New Yorkers to use reusable bags.

Do you think the NYC bag fee will have New Yorkers using fewer plastic bags?

Skip The Bag, Save the River

If you have searched for Skip The Bag, you may have run across Skip The Bag, Save The River, the law passed in Washington, DC. It is important to mention that this blog is not affiliated with that law in any way other than we happen to share part of a name.

Skip The Bag, Save The River

The law requires all DC businesses that sell food or alcohol to charge five cents for each disposable paper or plastic carryout bag. In general the business retains one cent of tax, but can keep two cents if it offers a rebate to customers who bring their own bag. The remaining three to four cents goes to the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Fund. That money has gone to creating trash traps which has prevented 3 tons of garbage from entering the Anacostia River as well as other education  and conservation projects.

The law took effect January 1, 2010 and a follow up study in 2013 found that 67% of residents reported seeing fewer plastic bags littering the area. 80% said they had reduced their use of disposable bags going from about 10 to 4 per week on average. 79% said they carry a reusable bag with them while shopping at least some of the time. It appears that in a relatively short period of time the bag tax had an impact on the number of plastic bags being used and the number of reusable bags being used.

I haven't lived anywhere that has had a bag tax, but I have lived in Hawaii when they passed their plastic bag ban and currently live in Florida which has a ban on plastic bag bans and taxes (why I started #skipthebag to begin with!).

Unfortunately if you read about the ban you will see there are several articles criticizing the law saying it is forcing people to get sick. They are claiming that the reusable bags become contaminated with e.coli and salmonella which results in food poisoning. Some of the articles want to repeal the law due to the risk of getting food poisoning. I do not doubt that there are some people who have fallen ill, I urge people to get educated on how to minimize the risk of food poisoning rather than to end a program that seems to be helping to make a positive difference.

Here are some suggestions on how to minimize your risk of getting food poisoning using a reusable bag:

1. Use separate bags for vegetables and meat. Many times the bacteria is present on the meat and then is transferred to vegetables which may remain uncooked. Using produce bags for produce and other bags specifically for meat will help prevent this cross-contamination.
2. Regularly wash your reusable bag. Your bag gets exposed to all sorts of potential contaminants. By washing it regularly you will help minimize potential for it to get on your food.
3. Wash your hands regularly. Proper hand hygiene is always helpful in reducing the risk of food poisoning.
4. Cook food to the appropriate temperatures. Cooking food helps kill the bacteria that causes food poisoning.

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What’s your favorite reusable bag?

There are so many types of reusable grocery bags. I started using them more once I found my favorite type.

This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase from the link I make a commission, but the price to you is unchanged. 

My introduction to reusable grocery bags were the big square bags that you can purchase from grocery stores like these adorable ones from Amazon. I collected gobs of them since they were so good for the environment (and usually free or very cheap). Well turns out having the reusable bag is a different story from using the reusable bag. Hubby and I would be halfway to the grocery store and one of us would ask, “Did you bring the bags?” Usually the answer was, “No…oh well.”

I thought moving the bags in my trunk would be the solution, and it helped, but I was still plagued by other problems. I would have to remember the bags were in the car before entering the store. Or I would have to run back out to the car. Then if they were used I’d have to remember to put them back in my car for next time. Also my husband drove most of the time and we never would remember to put bags in his car. So while it did help, they mostly just stayed in the trunk. I've since learned the trick of putting them by the door so you see them when you head back out to the car.

Example of the big square bags. Foldablebags.com 

Then for Christmas one year I got a small reusable bag as a stocking stuffer similar to these* or these*. I thought it was a great idea, it folded up into this little 2 inch cube. I could carry it in my purse! Unfortunately it had to be folded up in a very exact way, and very tightly, otherwise it wouldn’t snap close and you’d just have a loose bag to deal with.

Have you ever tried rolling up a sleeping bag only to have it not fit back in its pouch, so you have to keep re-rolling it tighter and tighter until it finally fits? It’s annoying, and dealing with that bag was the same thing. I must not be the only one with that problem, because the examples I show above seem to be designed better, thank goodness.

I was also in a different phase of life, so while I may have carried it around and had it physically in my presence more I still didn’t use it much. I’d like to think that if I were to receive one now I’d use it a lot, but the hassle with putting it back I doubt it would be a go-to.

When I moved to Hawaii I was given a free reusable bag for signing a petition to refuse plastic bags. This bag was revolutionary to me. It was a soft sided bag that came with its own pouch! Rather than having to roll or fold the bag to make sure it fit, I could just cram it in the bag and it had extra room to spare. This made storage a little bigger, but it was still only about the size of a sunglasses case so it easily fit in my purse. Also the pouch was attached to the bag. You didn’t have to worry about losing it.

My free bag from Plastic Free Hawaii. See how it fits nicely into a small bag!

Having a plastic bag in my purse at all times meant that I didn’t have to pre-plan trips or run out to the car to get bags. When we would be halfway somewhere I could finally answer, “Yes, I have bags in my purse!” It was also water resistant and washable so if something spilled I could either wipe it up or throw it in the washing machine (I think you were technically supposed to only hand wash it, but it was fine in the washing machine the few times I washed it). That bag lasted me about two years before some of the stitching in the handles started coming apart.

In the meantime I had bought a bag from EnvBags. They were very similar to my favorite bags with a few differences. What first drew them to me, was their fun prints! No longer did I need to have a boring light blue bag with a logo on it, I could have one with fun fish*! Next, the bag is sturdier than ones I've had before. It is still a soft sided bag, but it has a little more heft to it. Finally it has a gusset (whatever the heck that is), but it means it has a flat bottom which helps it carry more things. Gone are the days where I would get 5 bags for 7 items…it all fits in this bag. They say it can hold up to 40 lbs. and I am surprised by how much it can carry. To store it has a similar fold and snap closure like the bag from before, but the bag nearly folds itself and the snap straps are very generous. I sometimes even roll it too tight!

Rolled EnvBag

For me the biggest downside is the bag comes with a pouch. However the pouch is detachable from the bag. You can attach them, but I’m lazy and never would. So for me the pouch became waste, although one could easily repurpose it.

The EnvBag bags in use

Now technically these bags are still plastic since they are made of nylon. A better alternative would be to use a cloth bag such as these* I love that they roll up too! However in my attempts to conserve plastic I won't be on the hunt to replace these bags until they no longer work. EnV Bags will provide you a way to recycle their bags if you contact them, which is very nice of them to offer.

So what was your reusable bag journey? Do you have a favorite bag to use when you #skipthebag?

Love using your bags? Check out the #SkipTheBag Challenge.

*This post contains affiliate links, not a sponsored post. See my disclosures.

Levels Two and Three of #SkipTheBag

It's so exciting to see how many people have participated in the #skipthebag challenge. Keep up the great work by refusing plastic bags! I've had many people say that they already routinely use reusable bags while shopping. So I'd like to extend level two and level three challenges to them.

I use affiliate links to support the blog. If you use a link and make a 

purchase I may get a commission, but the price to you remains unchanged.

Level two #skipthebag is using reusable produce bags. I recently purchased some produce bags and I love them! Mine fold in quarters and have a draw sting bag closure. I consider it a more advanced level because it would be silly to use reusable produce bags and then put them in a plastic bag. Especially if you are purchasing a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, using reusable produce bags can save a lot of plastic!

Level 3 of #skipthebag is using reusable bags or glass containers to buy bulk food. This is one I'm still working on. I've got a fair collection of glass bottles, but I do not have any reusable bags. I love that this one has a zipper, but I also love that this bag spells out what it is for and has great reviews.

Unfortunately part of the reason why I tried to reach for level three is that I haven't found many stores that sell bulk food. Or at least ones that sell bulk food that we actually want. Most stores I've found that sell any bulk food, sell candy or nuts or other treats that we just don't eat. I'd love to find baking ingredients, lentils and spices! I haven't given up though, there are still some specialty and 'ethnic' food stores I need to check out.

Which level of the #skipthebag challenge are you on?

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#SkipTheBag Challenge

By now you know how wasteful and polluting plastic bags can be. I'd like to challenge you to refuse plastic bags while out shopping, or anytime really. Some options on how to accomplish this are:

1. Decide if you need a bag at all. Many times if you are just running in for a quick errand you only have a few items you may be able to just carry the items out.
2. Get reusable bags you like. I used to have large square ones that I would stash in my car. That way even if I forgot to bring them into the store I could run out to the parking lot to grab them. Think of it as bonus exercise and saving the planet. Now, I use ones that fold up and fit in my purse. I don’t carry a huge purse, but the bags are pretty small and it means I am never without a bag.
3. Use paper. While paper bags have fallen out of favor, some grocery stores still carry them. The paper bags are often made from recycled paper and can be further recycled.
4. What to do if you slip up and get a plastic bag? Recycle it! Unfortunately plastic bags aren’t allowed in most curbside recycling programs, but many grocery and big box stores have recycling bins. They are typically near the entrance of the store, in a cardboard box. Look around next time you are in one. I saved up all my bags in one of them and when it was full I would take it back to the store.

How to participate in the #skipthebag challenge?

1. Follow SkipTheBag on Twitter/Instagram/Google+/Facebook
2. Skip the bag! When you are out shopping don’t accept a plastic bag. Use a reusable bag or just hand carry the items.
3. Spread the word! Tell us your experience or post a photo using the hashtag #skipthebag.
4. Feel great knowing you did something good for the environment.

Update: Do you live in an area with a ban bag or have you been carrying your own bag for years? Have you progressed to level two or three of the #skipthebag challenge?

Recycling Programs: Hawaii, Florida, Oregon

We’ve lived many different places and it is very interesting to see how different cities handle their waste. I grew up in the Portland Metro Area in the Northwest where there was a culture of recycling and bottle deposits and caring for the environment. When I moved to Florida it was a bit of culture shock to see how different things were. (I talked about Oregon so much my friends called my comparisons Oregon-isms!) Well Oregon has continued to grow in their conservation efforts. So today I’m going to share the sanitation services (garbage, recycling, yard/compost) of Kailua, Hawaii and Pensacola, Florida to those of Portland, Oregon.

Recycling Bins Photo courtesy of Terence Ong

Kailua

Kailua has weekly trash services with yard and recycling pick-up every other week. They provide gray bins for trash, blue for recycling, and green for yard waste. In the recycling container they allow numbers 1 and 2 plastics, newspaper, corrugated cardboard, paper bags, glass bottles and jars, and metal cans. They do not allow plastics numbered 3-7, magazines, other glossy paper, or cereal/cracker boxes. They yard waste is for grass and tree trimmings. The trash can is for everything else. Hawaii has a 5 cent bottle deposit on most of their beverage containers to try and encourage people to return their bottles to the store, but the others can be recycled if they meet the requirements.

Pensacola

Pensacola has weekly sanitation services. They provide black bins for trash and brown bins for recyclable items. Yard waste is also picked up weekly, but they ask that items are placed on the side of the road (not in a bin). Items like branches are just put in a pile and they have a crane which picks up the debris and loads it into the truck. They just sent out a letter requesting that customers no longer put smaller debris like leaves or lawn clippings in plastic bags, but rather use paper or compostable bags.

The brown bin is for recyclable materials. They collect plastic bottles labeled 1 through 7, glass of any color, papers including magazines and phone books, cardboard boxes including cereal boxes, and aluminum cans. They do not recycle Styrofoam, waxed paper milk or juice containers or loose paper bags. However, their recycling program has been suspended because the third-party recycling processor that was contracted to the city has shut down. Escambia County Utility Association (ECUA) is building it's own plant to process which should become available later in 2016. No word on what materials they will continue to accept once the new facility is completed, but right now all waste is slated for the landfill. :(

Portland

Portland has some major differences in their sanitation services. They have weekly recycling, composting, and glass pick up. However, they have garbage pickup only every two or four weeks. They also have different size garbage cans for you. The fee you pay for sanitation is based on the size of garbage can you have and how frequently you have it picked up.

Portland allows all paper products including juice and milk cartons, shredded paper, and phone books. It accepts all plastic containers regardless of number as long as the neck is smaller than the base and it is at least 6 ounces in size. It accepts all tubs (think yogurt containers) as long as they are larger than 6 ounces. It even allows plastic buckets that are 5 gallons or smaller! They do not accept plastic bags, plastic lids, or rigid plastic containers “clamshells”.  They also collect bits of scrap metal, such as lids, screws and nails in addition to items like tin foil and aerosol cans. In the yellow glass container any glass bottle or jar of any color is allowed. It does not allow for drinking glasses or broken glass. Portland also has a 5 cent bottle deposit on beverages which further encourages bottle turn in.

Despite their large expansion into what items are recyclable the most novel in Portland is their use of a compost bin. The compost bin includes yard debris similar to that allowed in the other locations, but Portland also encourages its residents to dispose of food waste in the compost bin. Any meat, fish, dairy, grain, fruit or vegetable product can be disposed of in this container. Even coffee grounds and filters, pizza boxes and paper towels can be put in this bin. Things not allowed in the compost bin are pet waste/cat litter, coffee cups, plastics labeled compostable (except for approved bags), dirt, or branches over 4 inches. All other items which do not fall into the recycling, glass or compost bins would go into the trash bin. You can see how with such expansive recycling capabilities they are able to go to bimonthly trash pickup.

Ideally most locations would try and model their recycling programs after those in Portland. However note none of the locations allow recycling of plastic bags. The best way is to #skipthebag so you prevent its use in the first place. But most grocery and big box stores have boxes in the front which collect plastic bags to be recycled. So if you get a bag, recycle it!

What is curbside recycling like where you live?

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Impromptu Beach Cleanup

Casino Beach at Pensacola Beach

A couple of weeks ago on my day off I decided to hold an impromptu beach cleanup. It was a beautiful day and I just needed to feel the sand between my toes and the sun on my skin. So I headed down to the beach with my bag and decided I would wander around and pick up whatever trash I could find. I also wanted to see how dirty our beach was. We are known for having beautiful white beaches and were even ranked in the top beaches by Trip Advisor.

The total haul from the day

I wasn’t even out of the parking lot when I started finding trash. However when I first stepped onto the sand I realized that they comb the beach. I was afraid that meant that I wouldn’t be able to find much trash. However walking along the beach up by the dunes I found more than I wanted. I was also struck by how many trash cans there were. They definitely want to make it easy for people to throw away their trash rather than leave it on the beach, but there were many items that you could tell were left or blew away from their owners and didn’t make it into the trash.

All together I spent about an hour and a half wandering down the beach and I made a haul. There were Mardi Gras beads from weeks earlier, over 70 straws, 20 plastic lids, two straps for boards,  various pieces of plastic in different shapes, sizes and colors, and of course some plastic bags. Looking at the haul I was struck by several things.

First, the lack of bags. There are so many plastic bags being handed out, do we really do that great of a job cleaning them up and keeping them off of the beach? No, they just likely are blown away either. Most of the items I picked up had some weight to them so they would bury in the sand or be taken out to sea. The bags I found were up caught in the foliage in the dunes. One strong gust and they would be out in the water and out to sea.

Second, I was shocked by how many straws I found. It makes sense with the number of bars that serve drinks with straws, but I wasn’t expecting to find over seventy! Most of them I found right outside the restaurants themselves. Don’t they have people to help keep their grounds clean? The water was 200 yards away! And apparently there is a video out there of a sea turtle with a straw up his nose and humans helping him to get it out. I don’t want to watch it because people have said it’s graphic, but that’s up to 70 turtles I prevented from having that fate.

Third, I was surprised how difficult it was to tell the difference between plastic and shell. Often the inside of a shell would be smooth and look like a piece of plastic. Once I flipped it over it was easy to see it was a shell, but other times I had to really look to tell it was a shell. If I can’t tell the difference there is no way an unsuspecting marine animal could tell. Obviously this was with white plastic, It was quite easy to notice little bits of blue, purple and yellow weren’t natural. However, fish, drawn to bright colors might mistake the plastic for a tasty treat.

Finally, I was struck by how easy it was. Just go to the beach, wander around and pick up anything that isn’t sand, shell or wood. You don’t even have to go to the beach to help clean the environment, go to a local park or even your own yard and start picking up things that don’t belong. And remember to #skipthebag when out shopping.

Bits of plastic found during beach cleanup

Why I'm grateful I care about plastic bags

I had a realization tonight that I am really fortunate in my life that I can have and take the opportunity to care about plastic bags. I reminded me of things my husband has said about Monsanto. He says that Americans can boycott Monsanto and think they are evil because we have such an abundance of food. In countries where people are literally starving to death, the crops they make are lifesavers. I quickly saw parallels to these sentiments and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. 

Maslow's hierarchy of needs has 5 steps: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. It argues that each need must be fulfilled before really being able to move on to the next. Physiological needs relate to food and shelter. I might argue that forbidding the use of plastic bags or trying to minimize plastic waste for the global good would fall under the highest need; that of self actuation. Self actuation is where you try to live life according to our highest principles and strongest desires. "What a man can be, he must be" Maslow wrote about self actuation.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs by FireflySixtySeven

Let me try and illustrate it with a recent example from my own life. I arrived in Florida about six weeks before my husband to start my full time job. I was in a new town where I knew only a few people, starting a new job, apart from my husband, and 'camping' at my friend’s house. I call it camping, because while I was able to stay at my friend's house, all she had left was a bed. I was able to bring some of my own stuff, but space was limited so I basically brought along a card table, four folding chairs, four piece settings, some pots and pans, and my clothes. During this time when I had very little of my creature comforts I frequently relied on prepared food from the grocery store. Cut up fruit, bagged salad, and frozen chicken breasts all wrapped in plastic. To me the convenience of it was far more important than the environmental impact.

It wasn't until I got more comfortable in my surroundings, and read up more about the plastic free movement, that my eyes were opened to the environmental impact of the decisions I was making. I desired to make a change. But a lot of it took time and resources I just didn't have while 'camping'. Sure, I used my reusable bag while grocery shopping, but I couldn't grow a garden to prevent getting vegetables wrapped in plastic. And yes, I did an impromptu beach cleanup, but I couldn't start a compost bin for my veggie scraps. Now some of it was just excuses, but it could also be argued that my more basic needs weren't being met as readily.  

Reading blogs about people using less plastic and having zero waste helped to encourage me and show me options beyond the usual. But I was fortunate to have the time to find and explore those resources. People with busier lives, either through necessity or choice may not have the same time to devote to the information. This is why we need to make the choice with the greatest benefit the easiest choice. 

Right now automatically bagging everything in plastic bags is the easiest choice. You don't even have to talk to the cashier or bagger and it will happen. But what happens if we make that switch be paper bags? What happens when people have reusable bags that are easy to use? I would assume if you are reading this you are at a point in your life where you can afford the luxury of caring about the planet. So what are you doing to show your gratitude?