How to Recycle Plastic Bags, Dry Cleaning Bags, Shrink Wrap

I try to use cloth bags regularly.  I really do, and I'm getting better at it, especially thanks to some of the tricks I shared in Getting Started - Use Reusable Shopping Bags.   However, we all still end up with some plastic bags.  Hopefully you're like me and end up with a small enough bunch that you find you have uses for just about all of them.   However, try as we might, we still end up with a variety of things made from materials similar to plastic bags  - wrappers on paper towels, packing material in boxes, bags that held parts of kids toys, I'm sure that try as you might, some of these end up in your home.

I was very excited recently read a post by Random Charlotte about a way to recycle these materials!  She links to the website Plastic Bag Recycling  that collects information about many places that take plastic bags and links to them.  At first I thought it was one universal program, but I realized that each place has its own recycling program. 

Typically you can put the following CLEAN  and DRY bags into their receptcals:

• Grocery bags
• Retail bags (hard plastic and string handles removed)
• Paper towel and toilet paper plastic wrap
• Plastic newspaper bags
• Plastic dry cleaning bags
• All clean, clear bags labeled with a #2 or #4

They have one big warning about what to NEVER include. The following are considered contaminants and could jeopardize recycling programs.

Do NOT include the following.

• NO food or cling wrap
• NO prepackaged food bags including frozen food bags (e.g., pre-washed salad bags)
• NO film that has been painted or has excessive glue
• NO other bags or films
• NO bio-based or compostable plastic bags

I started looking up some of the big retailers in my area that are listed on their site for what their programs are.

Stop & Shop

We accept #02 and #04 plastic shopping bags, dry cleaning bags and newspaper bags. We send them, plus all of our shrink wrap from stores, to our plastics recycling company AERT (Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies Inc.). The plastic becomes composite decking (ChoiceDek at Lowe's). We have collected millions of pounds of bags for recycling.

This is great, and indicates that you can also put in wrappers from around packages of toiletpaper & paper towels as well. 

Other grocery stores in our area that have plastic bag recycling containers include: Shaw's, Whole Foods, Foodmaster and Market Basket.  You might be surprised to find these recycling containers at other kinds of stores as well, including: Staples, Lowes and JC Penny. 

We all know that it's better to reuse bags and there are many uses for them, but if you can't reuse them, make an effort to recycle them!
Happy Greening!
Alicia

Alicia's Random Reading List - December 2011

I've had a bunch of things on my mind this week thanks to some blog posts and articles that have popped up on my radar.  I thought several of them are worth sharing with our readers.

The first is around BPA, organics, pesticides and the food we feed our children.  I have been trying to avoid canned foods, because I want to minimize the exposure my children have to BPA.  I saw that Cambells has microwave bowls with my kids' favorite noodle soup, so I bought two and wondered if there was BPA in them as well. My web searches on that came up with two articles that I'd like to share with you:

Cambell's Soups - "Eww Eww toxic?" BPA for lunch?  This page links to the Mom's Rising campaign to get Cambells to remove the BPA from their cans.

This led me to read Which Chemicals Are Linked to Breast Cancer from the Breast Cancer Fund.

Grainwashing: Organic vs Natural Cereal by Healthy Child Healthy World pointed out to me that the cereal my husband has been buying may not be as healthy as he thinks it is - it's one of the cereals from a company that used to make primarily organic cereal, but now few of their products are organic.

I must say, I can't decide if I really like Healthy Child Healthy World, or if I have to stay away from it for my sanity.  They are about providing people with information to live healthier lives,  but they list so much to avoid, and have so many concerns about every day things, that it's overwhelming.  

I'm trying to remember how and why I came across How to Make a Tantalizing Vegan Dessert Your Guests Will Love by Confessions of an Overworked Mom, but frankly, does it matter?  Chocolate, peppermint, sugar, check out the recipe.  It's on my short list to make soon.   Let me know if you try it out!

Grist is another site I actually don't frequent as much as you might think. I feel that it's pretty radical, and I like to hear more middle-of-the-road opinions on environmental issues.  (I know, most people think I'm pretty radical, but you should meet my friends and my brother!) However, this is a good summary of the climate talks in Durban: The top five takeaways from the Durban climate talks.

And this is the best news I've gotten all week!  My mother LOVES L'Occitane hand and foot lotions and generally goes out of her way to get their products.  She's a tough nut to crack on the environmental issues, so I've been turning a blind eye to that.  However, this week I read this blog post by Mama on a Green Mission: L'Occitane ~ Natural Beauty Products You'll Want to Check Out ~ Great Stocking Stuffers! and I was thrilled!  Not only are their products pretty natural, made from local (to them) products, but they have a company-wide commitment to environmental practices.  Many of their products even score very well on the EWG Skindeep database.


What have you been reading?  Care to share?

Happy Greening!
Alicia

Don't Delay on Climate Action!

Photo by Julian Koschorke for Speak Your Mind

Please sign this urgent petition by 350.org calling for the US to not push for a delay on Climate Action until 2020.  The world can't wait to act! We can't wait to act!  Please sign it now.

Sign USA: Don't Delay on Climate Action! Petition

We have both signed it and shared on twitter, facebook and with our family and friends.  Please share this urgent call for action broadly!

If you need more inspiration for acting now, watch this amazing video interview by OneClimate where Bishop Geoff Davies calls on the Faith Communities to act.

Some quotes from the video that inspire me include:

We believe in life before death.

Christians should worry less about getting to heaven and more about climate crisis on earth

We have been tasked by God to look after this creation and to look after one another on this creation.

Destruction of creation is a sin against God and crime against humanity.
Bishop Geoff Davies at COP17 in Durban, South Africa

Please sign the petition and spread the word.  Let your country know that you want action now, not in a decade.

Jon & Alicia

Green & Local Holiday Gift Guide

Guest Post by Cameron Bruns

The holidays may be just around the corner, but shopping doesn’t need to be burdensome or stressful. Skip the mall and choose to give locally produced goods or give  activities as gifts rather than material items. There are many affordable and eco-friendly ways to show your family how much you love them this year:

• 1. Purchase a subscription to a local CSA. CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture,
  is a great way for people to get local, in-season produce straight from the farmer. By purchasing a CSA subscription, one is investing in the crops of that particular farm, and directly benefiting from the outcome. There are many CSA’s across Massachusetts and there are varying prices/amounts of produce to choose from.  To make your CSA gift subscription as easy and eco-friendly as possible, look at farms closest to where the recipient lives. To search for nearby farms with CSA programs, visit: http://www.localharvest.org. Another similar option is purchasing a subscription to Boston Organics. Unlike CSAs, Boston Organics isn’t necessarily local produce, but it is an easy way to get fresh USDA certified organic fruits, vegetables and dairy. Learn more at http://www.bostonorganics.com
• 2. Give a gift certificate to a green restaurant. There are 19 restaurants in the greater Boston area that have been recognized by the Green Restaurant Association for their sustainability efforts.  Taranta in the North End, Grendel’s Den in Harvard Square, and The Fireplace in Brookline are city favorites. Or giving a giftcard to the green local burrito chain, Boloco, would be a great stocking stuffer!
• 3. Shop at great stores in Massachusetts that sell exclusively sustainable goods. Ordering online is an easy way to shop at your own pace while cutting the carbon footprint of your gifts. Or giving a gift certificate to any of these places would be a great way to support local business while encouraging your friends and family to see what’s new on the eco-consumer market. Try looking at Nancysgonegreen.com of Framingham or Ecolissa.com of Westborough or Solar Panel Jewelry of Medford. Any of these websites are sure to have great gifts for moms, sisters, or daughters.
• 4. Another great gift that is great for everyone AND the environment, is a donation to an environmentally focused nonprofit organization.
  
  
  For example, The Nature Conservancy website has monthly or one-time-only donation options, and with a first-time contribution, donators are sent a Nature Conservancy tote bag – which would be a great way to remind your loved one of a donation made in their name.
  
  
• 5. Stocking stuffers can also be green!
  
  
  Try to think of items that can be used over and over: cloth napkins, reusable chopsticks, or  to-go coffee mugs. Some good green and local stocking stuffers could be a treat from Taza Chocolate, a beauty or bath product from Leap Organics, or lip balm from New Hampshire’s Badger Balm.

The most important thing is to give gifts that your friends and family will truly love. Wrap them in an environmentally conscious way – and enjoy the holidays! - Cameron

Cameron Bruns is a blog contributor to Merida, the premier source for distinctively designed natural rugs with a conscience for sustainability.

Jon Stewart: Check Out the Appalling Lack of US Interest in Climate Conference

Durban, South Africa 11/28-12/9/2011

Jon Stewart: Do you know that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is happening right now?  Like most Americans, you probably haven't even heard of the 17th Conference of Parties (COP17).  The conference started last week in Durban, South Africa, and continues a long series of such negotiations including Kyoto on how to address climate change and the impact it has on the world.

I find it appalling that these international negotiations, which are receiving worldwide attention, do not even warrant a mention in the US media.  ABC News has a headline on their front page right now: "Truth About Hair Loss After Pregnancy".  CNN has on their top page "Student smashes window with butt" and MSNBC has "Gaga video leaves some loyal fans puzzled".

If we look at Britain's news media like BBC, you will get a very different perspective.  Right now (these things change) the 3rd story on their home page is:

Protests at climate change summit Thousands of demonstrators march in Durban demanding faster action on climate change, as the annual UN summit on the issue reaches its half-way point.

Another British-based organization, OneClimate.net is reporting live from Durban.  You can catch live reports, as well as taped interviews at OneClimate.net, including great reporting by Alicia's brother Jeff.

Also appalling to me is the lack of US Congressional interest in these  international negotiations.  COP17 is the first such climate conference at which no members of United States Congress are attending.

To raise awareness in the US, I am turning to a "news" source that I love and has broad appeal: The Daily Show.  I have suggested on their Facebook wall that Jon Stewart should cover the lack of US media and Congressional attention for such an important worldwide event.  Please take a minute and post a similar suggestion or like and comment on my post.  Do you know a better way to reach out to their news team? Maybe the Best F@#king News Team Ever will pick up the story.

Tune into the daily coverage COP17 provided by OneClimate.net and be sure to share this important event with those around you.

Happy Greening!
Jon

Spread the word and like my post on the Daily Show Wall.

Update 12/5/11: Since we posted this, NPR has posted two articles about the climate talks:   - A Users Guide To the Climate Talks 12/4/11
    - Audio: Tough Work Lies Ahead in Climate Talks 12/4/11

If you see others, let us know!