Oftentimes implementing a single-use plastic bag ban is easier said than done. Some cities love the idea and the ban passes by a landslide, while others really don’t like the idea and fight it. Even once a ban or fee is passed the debate still is not over for some municipalities, like Huntington Beach and Dallas whose bag bans were recently overturned.
Making the workplace greener is a common goal, and it’s a good goal. Green changes help the planet and oftentimes make the workflow more efficient and even more enjoyable. The New Year is always a time for evaluating the past and looking towards the future, so we decided to put together a list of 5 ways you can make your workplace greener in the New Year.
The start of the New Year is usually a reflective time, and that got us thinking about recycling, because let’s face it – that’s something we think about a lot here. We try to be mindful about reusing materials, recycling and the amount of trash we generate both at home and at work, and from this came the idea for a year-long blog series we’re calling #WasteNotWantNot.
The past year has been so busy and we’ve learned a lot, and we’ve tried to share all of this information with you in our blog posts each week. As is usually the case at this point in the year we decided to sit back and take stock of the past 12 months, and we’ve rounded up our top 10 green posts, by amount of traffic to each post, from 2015. Read on to get the rundown of these top green posts from 2015.
It seems like disposable plastic bags are everywhere. Plastic bags are in fact recyclable; however, less than 5 percent of disposable plastic bags are recycled in the U.S. So single-use bags are balled up under people’s kitchen sinks, stuck in shrubs and trees and floating in rivers, lakes and oceans. The amount of plastic bags unleashed each year, and the impact of this plastic, is staggering.
The bag ban movement really became a full-fledged movement around 2007 and things have continued to pick up momentum ever since. It seems like every week another city (or two, or three) announces their plans to consider banning single-use plastic bags. We track all of this progress on our bag ban map, so if you want to learn more about an individual ban, check it out. We thought we’d round up a list of some of the most significant bag bans to pass in the U.S. to date, so in no particular order here’s out top 10 list.
In the United States over the last few years, there has been an influx in the debate over regulating disposable plastic bags through fees and single-use bag bans. Through all of the debate, some of these efforts have been very successful and others have failed. The question becomes, are bag bans the best solution to the plastic bag problem? In order to determine this answer we need to understand the problem.
Whether you love them or hate them or even if you don’t really have a strong opinion on them single-use plastic bags are an ubiquitous part of modern life. New York magazine recently published a great piece that succinctly outlines that plight of the plastic bag from humble beginnings to social stigma. The reach and impact of plastic bags extend so much further than just carrying goods home from the store, and these results are pushing a lot of people to take action.
The movement to ban single-use plastic bags in the U.S. is going strong and every week there are new cities and towns either passing bag bans or fees or starting the discussion. To get the big picture of the bag ban movement check out our map. There is so much that can be learned from reviewing the map, clicking through the locations and learning the stories of each city.
The ramifications of disposable plastic bag use is so incredibly far reaching, and even if you think the problems have no bearing on you, that just isn’t the case. From impacts on the food chain, the hassle and expense of cleaning up and the harm caused to wildlife there are a lot of problems that are all started with single-use plastic bags. A plastic bag ban would benefit us all.
The latest chapter in the effort to implement a statewide disposable plastic bag ban in California has taken a new turn with the American Progressive Bag Alliance attempting additional legal action.
Another month brings another round of updates to our plastic bag ban map. The bag ban movement continues to grow, and while there are some disappointments we are pleased to announce that a lot of positive changes have taken place.
Here’s a rundown of some of the most recent updates to our bag ban map. This map is changing all the time as new counties and cities work to implement bans and fees, so check it out and join the movement!
Just a couple weeks into their single-use plastic bag ban folks in Honolulu noticed something wasn’t right – some stores were still distributing plastic bags. Honolulu’s bag ban technically prohibits stores from handing out plastic bags that are thinner than 2.25 mils. The plastic bags being handed out now are in fact thicker, so they are allowed under the ban. These thicker bags are billed as reusable since they are durable.
There are a lot of traits of plastic that are convenient. Plastic is lightweight, durable and non-porous, which are all great characteristic for packaging. Unfortunately, the drawbacks for plastic are so overwhelming bag they outweigh these great benefits.
There isn’t a clear and easy answer to that question. Disposable plastic bag bans are intended to stop the use of plastic bags in order to reduce the negative environmental impact. As some cities have found out there can be some unintended consequences of passing a bag ban.
Yes, they do, and like anything new it takes time for shoppers to get used to a disposable plastic bag ban or fee, but once customers have a routine and get into the habit of bringing their reusable shopping bags when they go to the grocery store people begin to really support the measure and can see the value that reusing grocery bags brings.
Oahu joined the other Hawaiian Islands by prohibiting single-use plastic bags, effectively banning disposable plastic bags throughout the archipelago. As one group has learned single-use bag bans can also do a lot more to help the people of Hawaii. Turning it into a income stream for a charity while benefiting the environment. See how they raised over $140,000 by selling reusable shopping bags with a beautiful custom illustration.
A measure to levy a 5-cent fee on single-use plastic bags in Philadelphia failed to even get a hearing before the City Council, so at this time there are no laws regulating the distribution of disposable plastic bags. Shoppers in Philly may be happy that they do not have to pay a per bag fee when they shop, however, the hidden costs of single-use plastic bags can add up to some big expenses.
There is always news to report when it comes to single-use plastic bag bans and we have rounded up some good and promising news below. We are happy to share these stories with you and remember to check out our bag ban map to learn about even more cities working to ban single-use plastic bags.