Comments on: How To Overcome the Curse of the Plastic Bag http://matadorlife.com/how-to-overcome-the-curse-of-the-plastic-bag/ Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 31 Jul 2010 04:10:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Susanna http://matadorlife.com/how-to-overcome-the-curse-of-the-plastic-bag/comment-page-1/#comment-5197 Susanna Fri, 07 May 2010 16:38:51 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=3457#comment-5197 You are so right. The issue of creating plastic waste in the first place is disturbing, and it's the hardest to get rid of, so it mounts up. For takeout -- you can buy stainless tiffins and use those. We have one we keep in the car so we can run out and grab it if we're at a restaurant and have leftovers. It's thrilling to avoid the styrofoam box or plastic clamshell, and it gets a lot of comments. You are so right. The issue of creating plastic waste in the first place is disturbing, and it’s the hardest to get rid of, so it mounts up. For takeout — you can buy stainless tiffins and use those. We have one we keep in the car so we can run out and grab it if we’re at a restaurant and have leftovers. It’s thrilling to avoid the styrofoam box or plastic clamshell, and it gets a lot of comments.

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]]> By: Andrea Collisson http://matadorlife.com/how-to-overcome-the-curse-of-the-plastic-bag/comment-page-1/#comment-5196 Andrea Collisson Fri, 07 May 2010 15:16:30 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=3457#comment-5196 I am happy to have stumbled upon your article. I am especially inspired by the idea of knitting plastic bags. The potential there is excellent. Beyond toys, wallpictures would be great in the hands of talented creatives. I am not a knitter though unfortunately but would love to see this idea in particular spread to those who are ardent knitters. About your main idea though. Why stop at plastic bags? Coming home from 6 months in India where plastic upsets us foreigners more because its thrown on the street without a thought and there's almost no garbage disposal, i've just noticed at home, that we should be more upset about what we do here since practically everything we do seems to involve the use of buying plastic, especially in the kitchen. But one thing we can do more about is to somehow find ways to reduce the plastic we buy when we buy takeaway food. I was in India when I started to think more about this and wish i could do something to change the course of the future (with regard to the use of plastics). I thought about how we really need to an alternative to takeaway food containers of all sorts. As individuals, we can try to take along our own cup and plate and ask the servers to put the food in that. That is, of course as well as buying less of the stuff in the first place. I am happy to have stumbled upon your article. I am especially inspired by the idea of knitting plastic bags. The potential there is excellent. Beyond toys, wallpictures would be great in the hands of talented creatives. I am not a knitter though unfortunately but would love to see this idea in particular spread to those who are ardent knitters.

About your main idea though. Why stop at plastic bags? Coming home from 6 months in India where plastic upsets us foreigners more because its thrown on the street without a thought and there’s almost no garbage disposal, i’ve just noticed at home, that we should be more upset about what we do here since practically everything we do seems to involve the use of buying plastic, especially in the kitchen. But one thing we can do more about is to somehow find ways to reduce the plastic we buy when we buy takeaway food. I was in India when I started to think more about this and wish i could do something to change the course of the future (with regard to the use of plastics). I thought about how we really need to an alternative to takeaway food containers of all sorts. As individuals, we can try to take along our own cup and plate and ask the servers to put the food in that. That is, of course as well as buying less of the stuff in the first place.

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]]> By: Heather Carreiro http://matadorlife.com/how-to-overcome-the-curse-of-the-plastic-bag/comment-page-1/#comment-4194 Heather Carreiro Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:54:58 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=3457#comment-4194 I've been completely overwhelmed with the amount of plastic bags I've accumulated after just 6 months of being back in the U.S. Thanks for the reminder to get a handle on that situation! I’ve been completely overwhelmed with the amount of plastic bags I’ve accumulated after just 6 months of being back in the U.S. Thanks for the reminder to get a handle on that situation!

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]]> By: Trisha Miller http://matadorlife.com/how-to-overcome-the-curse-of-the-plastic-bag/comment-page-1/#comment-4017 Trisha Miller Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:58:56 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=3457#comment-4017 Fantastic program - the bags are lovely and what a terrific way to get them out of the ecosystem...it would be great if they could start some sort of program to collect plastic bags from the US as well.....I see collection bins in many grocery stores, and I'll bet that more people would recycle their bags there if they knew it was going to help other people in the process of recycling them. Fantastic program – the bags are lovely and what a terrific way to get them out of the ecosystem…it would be great if they could start some sort of program to collect plastic bags from the US as well…..I see collection bins in many grocery stores, and I’ll bet that more people would recycle their bags there if they knew it was going to help other people in the process of recycling them.

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]]> By: Leigh Shulman http://matadorlife.com/how-to-overcome-the-curse-of-the-plastic-bag/comment-page-1/#comment-4001 Leigh Shulman Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:31:44 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=3457#comment-4001 Another great use for plastic bags. There's a group in Panama that pays people to collect the bags. Then pays other people to treat the plastic and weave the bags into handbags. I bought about 10 of them before we moved. Gave them away as gifts and also kept a few for myself. The group had been talking about marketing them in the US and elsewhere at a high markup - which would still be cheap by US standards -- with proceeds going directly to the collectors and weavers. Here's a post with more info on it: http://thefutureisred.typepad.com/onedayatatime/2008/05/its-not-that-ha.html Another great use for plastic bags. There’s a group in Panama that pays people to collect the bags. Then pays other people to treat the plastic and weave the bags into handbags.

I bought about 10 of them before we moved. Gave them away as gifts and also kept a few for myself. The group had been talking about marketing them in the US and elsewhere at a high markup – which would still be cheap by US standards — with proceeds going directly to the collectors and weavers.

Here’s a post with more info on it: http://thefutureisred.typepad.com/onedayatatime/2008/05/its-not-that-ha.html

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]]> By: Susanna http://matadorlife.com/how-to-overcome-the-curse-of-the-plastic-bag/comment-page-1/#comment-4000 Susanna Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:28:37 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=3457#comment-4000 Alas, not to be a bummer, but even biodegradable plastic isn't a great solution ... someone pointed out to me that it just creates small bits of plastic that can more easily get into the environment, which could cause untold problems. On the good side, I guess it would help with your point of allowing the contents to degrade -- but reportedly, much U.S. garbage is in anaerobic landfills where it can't degrade, anyway. Alas, not to be a bummer, but even biodegradable plastic isn’t a great solution … someone pointed out to me that it just creates small bits of plastic that can more easily get into the environment, which could cause untold problems. On the good side, I guess it would help with your point of allowing the contents to degrade — but reportedly, much U.S. garbage is in anaerobic landfills where it can’t degrade, anyway.

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]]> By: Leigh Shulman http://matadorlife.com/how-to-overcome-the-curse-of-the-plastic-bag/comment-page-1/#comment-3999 Leigh Shulman Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:27:14 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=3457#comment-3999 I have a collection of reusable bags from just about everywhere I've lived, and I drag them around with me when I travel or move too. One thing I've noticed, sometimes people think it's weird. But sometimes vendors at local markets give me better prices and are happy not to have to use up their supply of plastic bags for my purchases. I have a collection of reusable bags from just about everywhere I’ve lived, and I drag them around with me when I travel or move too.

One thing I’ve noticed, sometimes people think it’s weird. But sometimes vendors at local markets give me better prices and are happy not to have to use up their supply of plastic bags for my purchases.

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]]> By: Susanna http://matadorlife.com/how-to-overcome-the-curse-of-the-plastic-bag/comment-page-1/#comment-3998 Susanna Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:25:55 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=3457#comment-3998 We do have a small, locally owned natural foods grocery chain in my area ("small," but they still have 15-20 locations in the state) that has decided to eliminate bags. You can buy reusable bags at the store, of course you can bring your own, or you can have a box -- but they just don't have bags at all. I think it's fantastic. We do have a small, locally owned natural foods grocery chain in my area (“small,” but they still have 15-20 locations in the state) that has decided to eliminate bags. You can buy reusable bags at the store, of course you can bring your own, or you can have a box — but they just don’t have bags at all. I think it’s fantastic.

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]]> By: Leigh Shulman http://matadorlife.com/how-to-overcome-the-curse-of-the-plastic-bag/comment-page-1/#comment-3997 Leigh Shulman Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:21:04 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=3457#comment-3997 It's amazing that they don't require you to purchase bags in the US. Even places like Whole Foods, which does have the option of buying reusable bags, still gives away the paper and plastic for free. I suppose forcing consumers to buy plastic bags would send customers to another store that gives them for free. Even so, come on people, please! It’s amazing that they don’t require you to purchase bags in the US. Even places like Whole Foods, which does have the option of buying reusable bags, still gives away the paper and plastic for free.

I suppose forcing consumers to buy plastic bags would send customers to another store that gives them for free.

Even so, come on people, please!

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]]> By: Susanna http://matadorlife.com/how-to-overcome-the-curse-of-the-plastic-bag/comment-page-1/#comment-3989 Susanna Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:32:08 +0000 http://matadorlife.com/?p=3457#comment-3989 Yes, and it hurts more after you've tried to eliminate them! It can feel as if every bag others use undoes a little bit of your efforts ... Yes, and it hurts more after you’ve tried to eliminate them! It can feel as if every bag others use undoes a little bit of your efforts …

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