To me, there can only be 1 culprit can be behind it. That culprit would be the makers of the plastic bags themselves! I mean really, bringing your own bags to the market can now make you die! Ecoli virus among countless others!!!
Well, I tell you what……I myself have been using my own reusable bags going on my 5th year.  In all my carries,  eggs, poultry, vegetables, and anything else i may buy I have never, not once, even had a spill of any considerable size in one of my reusable bags!   If i did, I would simply take out the bottom plastic insert and wipe free any “contaminates” that may be there and we would then be free and clear of the problem.  If it were that bad, i would wash my washable reusable bag in cold water and line dry. 

Problem fixed.

It is clear to me that the makers of the plastic bags are acting purely from greed and cash money is their objective.  They do not care that coral reefs are dying by plastic bag strangle hold.  They do not care that the los Angeles River looks like the trash dump from the original movie Star Wars!  They don’t care that  plastic bags waive from trees in Central park like Christmas ornaments, they do not care that CA spends $30,000,000 dollars per year on trying to contain their plastic disaster and barely scrapes the top of it.

plastic bags have a strangle hold on our seas!

The bottom line is that plastic bags are one of our great plagues in the world and slowly but surely people are being made aware of it.  As rap group “Public Enemy” once said, “Don’t Belive the Hype!”  Its propaganda, and it simply isnt true.

If the plastic bag manufacturers had any real amo they would be showing us all the bacteria and sickness’s that have arose from places like Ireland and Austrailia who are bothworking on 10 years free of plastic bags.  If there were any truth in any of this they would maybe start there.

Bottom line, plastic bags hurt the Earth, stay strong, keep bringing your reusable bags, and dont believe the Hype!  It simply isnt true!

Reusable bags help to keep the environment healthy and intact, a job that fire departments devote their lives to every day — therefore, it comes as no surprise that one day these two forces would come together in mutual support. That’s exactly what happened this month, as Reuse This Bag president Doug Lober has contributed a page to the Riverside County Fire Department January 2010 newsletter, highlighting the benefits of reusable bags and the concerns surrounding their alternatives.

There are countless reasons why you as an every day American should start to use a reusable bag. We have studied article after article, paper after paper, and blog after blog… Here are a few of our favorite facts in regards to why we are urging you to make the very important choice to put down your paper and plastic and protect your Earth today!

With a full page ready to be put to good use, Lober lets readers in on some critical facts about paper and plastic alternatives, noting the oft-ignored destructive nature of paper bag production, the difference between biodegradation and photodegradation, and the catastrophic pollution resulting from even the act of recycling plastic products.

The City of Riverside has already been making a huge push toward going green, promoting a plan of action and offering suggestions for low-impact living. With Reuse This Bag by their side, the city is one step closer to an ever greener tomorrow.

Why is the fee 25 cents?

* To effectively deter the use of single-use bags and encourage consumers to switch to reusable bags, the fee must be set high enough to have a real impact on consumer behavior. Ireland’s current bag fee is set at the equivalent of 33 U.S. cents. The policy was so successful that it significantly reduced plastic bag litter by over 90%.

Is this a tax?

* No. This is a regulatory fee under Article XIII A of the California Constitution because the amount and nature of the fee have a fair and reasonable relationship to the environmental, public health, and societal burdens imposed by the use of plastic and paper carryout bags.

This bill could be huge — one of its strongest points is that it doesn’t let paper bags off the hook, curbing the plastic industry’s cries of biased treatment and holding paper plants equally accountable for wasteful production and unsound ecological policies. But this bill needs your help. Do you believe in a less wasteful tomorrow for California? Then send Assemblymember Brownley a letter and let her know you support the cause! It only takes a few minutes, and it’s an uphill battle for these sorts of bills. We already sent ours! Take the time today — the environment will thank you for it.

• Reusable bags: more popular than ever! [Albany Times-Union]
• Eva Longoria-Parker and H-E-B promote reusable bags for Earth Day! [Houston Chronicle]
• Reusable bag sales raise money and awareness for students in Lakeside, MN. [Chisago County Press]
• Plastic bag pollution in Tanzania referred to as “alarming.” [IPP Media]
• Reusable bags an appealing choice in the Silicon Valley. [KLIV]
• Meanwhile, legislative hearings for a California bag tax are going well. [WBIR]
• Earth Day is already underway ahead of schedule in Rhode Island! [Providence Journal]
• New York state law aims to make recycling plastic bags easier. [9-WSYR]
• Find more ways to get active for Earth Day! [My Ozarks Outdoors]

Photo via Flickr!

Haley Nilson would love to see the city of Temecula eventually ban the ubiquitous plastic bags used by grocery stories and other local businesses.

But the 15-year-old high school freshman said she knows a sudden ban —- the equivalent of plastic bag cold turkey —- is going to be difficult to enact.

Indeed, total bag bans haven’t been looked on too kindly in most of the United States. Young stalwart Haley has therefore stated, in a presentation she made to the Temecula City Council last night, that she’s willing to compromise with a law that would phase out plastic bags via a mandatory in-store tariff for use, a tactic that has seen much more relative acceptance in these parts. Even so, councilmembers voiced concerns about her methods.

After her presentation, Councilman Jeff Comerchero saluted Haley, calling her presentation “terrific.” But he also challenged her to find a way to get results without new taxes.

“I’d like to see you try and find a way, rather than being punitive, to be supportive,” he said.

Softer tactics have worked to a degree, but are they too small a chip off the iceberg of a problem of plastic bag pollution? Some say even bag tariffs are too soft, when disposable bags could just as easily be banned outright. At any rate, something has to happen soon, and the compromise of a tariff seems like as good a place as any to start.

On top of the recycling world, that is. According to a recent survey, a whopping four cities in California showed up in the top ten of a list of the Top 100 US cities with the best household recycling skills — including our very own home town, San Diego! That’s some serious environmental prowess here on the West Coast!

Fresno, the inland city between Los Angeles and San Francisco, topped the list by Men’s Health magazine while Fremont, Anaheim and San Diego — all Californian cities – placed in the top ten.

The cities were judged on their household recycling capabilities by determining if recycling is mandatory, how easy the city makes it for residents to recycle and the percentage of households that participate.

Extra points were given to cities that sorted materials beyond paper, plastic and glass.

Looking good, California! Big cities tended to lie beyond the top ten, with New York City ranking #17 and Los Angeles coming in at #32. Even bustling desert metropolis Las Vegas managed to squeak into the list at #99. But suffice it to say, California came out a clear winner in the race for individual green consciousness. Keep up the good work, California!

As we know, Christmas is over and the tree in your living room is probably starting to droop and lose its needles. What are you going to do with that tree now that it’s no longer providing your home with warmth and joy? You could toss them out in the street for the garbage truck to haul off to the dump… or you could give the gift that keeps on giving, and recycle!

Here in San Diego, we’re celebrating our 35th year of Christmas tree recycling, and our grand city now boasts sixteen drop-off points for you to take your tree. The City of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department has a section of their website devoted to the project.

The City of San Diego Environmental Services Department hosts the 35th Annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program from December 26, 2008 through January 23, 2009. This year’s program provides 16 drop-off locations available to residents only.

If you live in San Diego, check out the list of Christmas tree drop-off points, and check out the instructions on the main page to get started. The earth will thank you, your city will thank you, and perhaps even your tree will thank you when you see it again, reborn as something beautiful and new.

Photo via Flickr!

“We want to make it easier for our customers to make green purchasing decisions,” said Simon Uwins, Fresh & Easy chief marketing officer. “By offering affordable canvas bag options we can encourage customers to reach for a reusable bag instead of one that might end up in a landfill.”

Fresh & Easy gives away canvas bags to customers at every grand opening celebration and as part of each store’s one-year anniversary celebration. Since opening its first store in November 2008, the company has donated over 175,000 canvas bags.

The bags are made from 100% unbleached cotton canvas, which is incredibly eco-friendly in the spectrum of reusable bags — biodegradable, and with a minimal impact as far as manufacturing. As of yet, my only concern is that people are purchasing the bags for the right reasons. Are there new people buying the bags every time? Or are the same people forgetting their bags at home and, fearful of the plastic, purchasing a new one or two with each visit? If it’s the first, then bravo and well done and I am proud. If it’s the second, however, then more emphasis needs to be put on using the bags you already have, lest you create a whole new breed of bag monster out of good intentions.

But as it stands, it’s very good news indeed! Keep up the good work, Fresh & Easy!