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JAYPLAY 09.06.2007
BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag
For more than just sack lunches By Ashley Thompson
When Nicole Reiz tots around her environmentallyfriendly cloth grocery bag at local supermarkets, she is often greeted with suspicious glances.
"I feel like they think I'm trying to steal or something," says Reiz, Wichita graduate student and former president of Environs, a KU environmental activism group."I usually try to frequent certain businesses so workers start recognizing me."
Our culture has not yet universally embraced the use of cloth sacks, and for that reason, Reiz and other canvas carriers stand out as abnormal Americans. As a whole, we prefer to stick with our plastic bags, much to Mother Nature's dismay.
Introduced to supermarkets in 1977 and seen initially as technological genius in the simplest of forms, these handy little plastic bags are now viewed as one of the many culprits contributing to global warming. Americans are by far the biggest consumers of plastic bags, likely because as a country, we have no fee or encouragement for shoppers to scale back on plastic bag usage. Nearly one billion plastic sacks are used
each year in the United States, according to www.nationalgeographic.com. One percent of
those are recycled.The rest of the non-biodegradable suckers head to landfills.It's estimated that it takes up to 1,000 years for plastic bags to degrade.And what natural resource is used to produce these billions of bags? Petroleum.
But all is not lost here in Lawrence. The city may not be quite ready to ban plastic bags outurling—like San Francisco did in March of this year—but alternatives are still available. Canvas sacks are popping up all over the city, and can now be spotted at The Community Mercantile, 901 Iowa St., (The Merc), Borders, 701 New Hampshire St., and Hy-Vee, 4000 W. 6th St, among other locations. Jeanie Wells, general manager of The Merc, says sales of their cloth bags, which are designed by local artists each year, have increased in the past year.
"Usually, we only order the bags once a year, but as of late, we're placing more and more orders," Wells says.
Wells says The Merc actually did not offer plastic bags until 2001 after elderly customers said plastic bags were easier for them to carry. Not wanting to deny their devoted shoppers, The Merc obliged,
How the United States Stacks Up Here's a look at some plastic bag regulations around the world.
Wells says. To encourage patrons to recycle, The Merc has since paid five cents for each returned plastic bag. A small collection bin is located at the front of the store.
Australia: The Australian government decided in 2002 to set a goal of reducing plastic bag waste by 50 percent by 2005, although they fell slightly short. Rates were down 41 percent by the end of 2005. The recycling rate remains low in Australia at 3 percent.
France: Most supermarkets in France charge a small fee for each plastic bag. A nationwide ban of plastic bags is scheduled to begin on Jan.1,2010.
Ireland: The Irish government issued a 15- euro cent tax on all plastic bags in 2002. The cost was upped in July 2007 to 22 cents. The country has reduced its plastic bag use by 90 percent in five years.
"We're trying for the positive reinforcement," Wells says.
"I know in many countries in Europe, they charge money for each plastic bag, but I would feel weird doing that to my customers."
Taiwan:The entire island of Taiwan banned plastic bags, along with plastic silverware and plates in restaurants in 2003, with the goal of reducing plastic waste by 30 percent.
Source: www.cleanup.com
Vee on 6th Street, Customers who spend more than $50 receive a free canvas bag with their purchase during promotion periods. The next in-store promotion is scheduled for the first weekend in September.
"We're making an effort to conserve. We're aware of the environmental hazards, the landfills, but it's also a cost benefit for us, if fewer plastic bags are used." Wiltong says.
for even the smallest purchases," Wells says. "I think if people started paying attention, they'd realize that sometimes they don't even need plastic bags at all."
Target also has an instore bin for bags, and the Wal-Mart Recycle Center accepts plastic bags.
And maybe, the day when Reiz and her little canvas bag will be accepted—maybe even appreciated—is not so far off after all. Mother Earth will be smiling.
As global climate change becomes increasingly recognized as an imminent threat, Wells says she expects attitudes to change and she often sees KU students using their backpacks instead of opting for a plastic sack.
"It's just such a habit here in this culture to have plastic bags
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