Green Solutions In The Bag
By Nadine Weil

Nov 26 | archive | subscribe

San Francisco raised its eco rock star status to A List this week with its Plastic Bag Ban.  The first in the country, the ban went into effect on Tuesday November 20, 2007 in large supermarkets with over $2 million in annual sales.  Enforcement starts on December 1st.  Pharmacies will join the party in 6 months. Plastic bags are so out.  BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) is so in.

The green glitterati came out in full force to celebrate the ban at the Tuesday night party at 111 Minna hosted by ChicoBags.  Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi was in the house greeting his fans.  He sponsored the ground-breaking ordinance and did battle with the grocery association.  “Banning a plastic bag is a good first, small start,” says Mirkarimi.  The Bag Monster was floating about. The crowd cheered for the eco-fashion show of bag-inspired couture by Haute Trash. Models were adorned with colorful Luna bar wrappers, dresses from used CDs (my favorite), and other reincarnated trashy finds. I was surprised that no one was wearing a Green Composting Bin.

Why are we banning plastic bags again?  We have all seen them flying through the air or stuck in a tree. We have all heard the shocking statistics that 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed globally per year.  That’s 1 million per minute. 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually in the U.S. And 180 million in San Francisco per year, last year that is. Plastic bags don't biodegrade. They photodegrade, breaking down into small toxic bits that contaminate soil, waterways, and the food web. They clog our landfills and recycling machines and were costing San Francisco $8 million a year to clean up. And plastic bags are made from petroleum. Enough said.

It is time to break up with plastic bags and move on to a more fulfilling relationship. We are trading up!  It’s a new green day, and there are many shiny eco-bags out there.  How to chose?  Sample them all, and make one your steady.

Here are some hip ways to get into the plastic bag ban spirit:

BYOB:  Bring Your Own Bag to the store and put your beer in it. This is the greenest move. Collect your bag credit. Those giant Whole Foods 100% recycled paper bags with handles last forever.

BioBags: These biodegradable bags are the new-new plastic bag. Made from corn, these bags can be put in your green bin and composted. If they are trashed, they will still decompose slowly over time, not last 1000 years like plastic. Great for tall kitchen trash bags, pets, and food composting. biobagusa.com

Plastic Bag Rehab: If you spend $20 on Method products this holiday season, you will receive the pop-art Plastic Bag Rehab tote designed by Danny Seo. And it folds up into its own sack for easy carrying. givegreener.com

Chico Bags: What fits in your hand, your pocket, your purse?  A ChicoBag. These little gems are quickly overtaking canvas bags in popularity. chicobag.com

Reusable Bags: Check out Reusable Bags for many baggy facts and lots of reusable bags in every shape and color. The Wave Bag is popular. It is made from recycled rice & feed bags and is very durable and fair trade. reusablebags.com

Stewart+Brown:  For hipster shopping, these talented eco-designers create some of the most chic bags around. The turtle and pony totes were favorites this season. Look under Factory Surplus. stewartbrown.com