Greenstar is actively working on the bag question. They did have some locally made 99ยข bags for a short time, but they sold out right away. They also found some recycled PET bags from China that were made under Fair Trade conditions, but I don't know if they've ordered any yet.
Lots of great suggestions for needing less plastic bags, Jan! I use an old-fashioned kitchen towel rack to dry my re-usable plastic bags (and cotton produce bags, and of course, my kitchen towels). While I find cotton produce bags only keep produce fresh if I put them inside a plastic bag, the cotton/plastic combination keeps greens from going slimy. The plastic bags are then easy to just rinse out, and the cotton bags can go through the wash. I also use old linen napkins inside plastic bags to keep things moist but not slimy. The main way I use plastic grocery bags is as waste basket liners. Anyone remember what we used to do before plastic? I do remember having to occasionally wash out metal waste baskets as one of my chores, but that is not a "solution" I want to return to. Having washable plastic waste baskets that don't rust (as long as they don't have PVC or phthalates in them) seems like a reasonable durable use of plastic. But in some locations, I still like to have a disposable liner (which gets tossed full of trash, of course). Margaret >It may not occur to shoppers to ask for cardboard boxes. I'll ask Greenstar >to encourage this option through signage at the registers, and in their >newsletter. They could also charge 33 cents (or more) for their plastic >bags, or, better yet, not offer them at all. I also think Greenstar should >offer more affordable reusable bags for sale, like Shur-save and Wegman's >do. If you agree, please join me in speaking up about this. > >Also, many of you probably know about the following, but I'll suggest them >anyway, for those who don't, here are some alternatives to using new plastic >bags: >- For drippy produce: bring used plastic bags, waterproof beach bags, and/or >those zippered rectangular insulated bags (normally used for car travel); >- Keep a cooler (or two) in your trunk; you can transfer groceries directly >into it from your cart. In the summertime, line the bottom of the cooler >with gel-packs from your freezer; >- Bring your own cardboard boxes to the store each time, and store them >under your cart while you shop; >- Wash sandwich baggies and those thin plastic bags from the produce dep't >by immersing them in a bowl of soapy water; swish, and then rinse well. Hang >them on a line in the basement, or drape them over bottlenecks in your >kitchen; you can set up wine or vinegar bottles on a cloth towel on your >counter, and the bags will dry overnight. They last for years! >- Jan Quarles _______________________________________________ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
