Was this cool when you were in elementary school? It was for me. Everyone stopped using backpacks and started to bring all their school supplies to school in plastic grocery bags. The environmentalist in me cringes at the thought of doing that now.
Before we stopped getting plastic bags when grocery shopping I would reuse them by putting my lunch in them. I saw it as a way to get multiple uses out of them. When we switched to fabric grocery bags I made the switch for my lunch bag as well.
My friend Rex is over in Nepal with VSO. He recently wrote an article on an green initiative that the offices there have implemented. The VSO Nepal office has banned all plastic bags. That is right...not only will they not use them as part of their operation but employees, volunteers and visitors can not even bring them onsite.
What a fantastic idea! I started to think about what my work uses plastic bags for. Garbage and recycling are the top one's. There are bags (biodegradable) at every desk, in every conference room, in the washrooms, first aid rooms and in the kitchens. There are even more uses in the other buildings onsite. Would we ever be able to cut them out like the VSO Nepal office did? I honestly don't see why not. Seems like such a small change that could have a huge impact overall.
Would your work be able to ban all plastic bags? Would you be able to do it at your home?
That's a good question. My workplace used plastic bags in all garbage containers and the like. They were also used heavily in the cafeteria for various purposes. It would definitely take a switch, for sure.
ReplyDeleteAs for my home, I still struggle with a good alternative for the garbage. Neighbouring cities have bins that are set up so the garbage can be put in them directly. Us, not so much, so we use old plastic bags for our trash. I hope that our city implements a better trash collection scheme soon.
I wonder if the city would take the trash if I just put it directly into a garbage bin. I am thinking that they wouldn't, which is too bad.
ReplyDeleteMany grocery bags nowadays ARE biodegradable, although they look like plastic. Here's a nifty way to convert these grocery bags into trash bags. It's easy to do, convenient to use, and earth-friendly.
ReplyDeleteI am from Germany,we are very green compared to other western countries.You cannot get plastic bags in supermarkets unless you pay for them, everybody brings their own baskets, bags made out of material or whatever.This goes back decades.Because I have been living in Australia and Britain for years where they throw plastic bags at every customerm,I sometimes forget to bring my own bag when I go shopping in Germany and then I have to buy the plastic bags and always hope nobody sees or knows me because these people are frowned upon ( environmental pigs!!)
ReplyDeleteWe have to pay for bags here too (5 cents). I find most people bring their own bags or bins but some people still don't.
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