So you live in Los Angeles, where plastic bags are most likely going to be banned starting in 2014. What to do? Take advantage of the opportunity and choose a fabulous folding shopping bag to put your logo on! Here are two new Bulletin Bag [.com] options worth considering:
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Plastic Bag Bans Coming Your Way? New Folding Shopping Bags Worth Looking At
Staff Reviews are Back! The Standard Grocery Bag vs. The Non Woven Carry-All
Our staff reviews are back! Did you miss them? We hope so! This go around, we’re looking at two popular nonwoven polypropylene grocery bags. At first glance, our Standard Grocery Bag appears to be similar to our Non Woven Carry-All, but they’re really very different bags.
The Standard Grocery Bag is made from 80 GSM nonwoven polypropylene, and has a bottom insert for stability. The handle construction, with a reinforced band at top (see photo), allows for a wider imprint than some of our other nonwoven polypropylene bags, and you can even specify a PMS color for no additional charge. This bag can also be delivered quickly without rush charges. If you’re on a tight timeframe, we can most likely get this bag to you in time!
A Country Without Plastic Bags?
Imagine a nation that eliminates plastic bags. Think it’s a pipe dream? Perhaps, but if Jim Moran has his way, the US could be one step closer to making that a reality.
U.S. Representative Jim Moran (D-VA) unveiled a bill on Earth Day that he calls the Trash Reduction Act of 2013. If passed, a five-cent fee on single-use plastic AND paper bags will be imposed at every retail store across the country.
“According to the Environment Protection Agency, the average American throws away about 4.4 pounds of trash each day. The results of this waste can be found in our oceans, now home to floating landfills ten times the size of Virginia. Small steps like replacing plastic bags with reusable ones yield large returns in reducing the amount of trash we create,” said Rep. Moran. Continue reading
Plastic Bag Recycling? Not So Fast …
Last month, we wrote about a draft ordinance in Portland, Maine, to ban plastic bags. While it ultimately didn’t take off here (yet!), it has definitely gotten the community talking.
Local landfill and waste managers are speaking up about the damage that plastic bags are doing at their facilities. Three years ago, we first talked about how plastic bags wreak havoc at recycling facilities. Well, that problem hasn’t gone away. C’mon. You really can’t be surprised.
Even though there is a recycling symbol on plastic bags, and even though modern recycling technology makes it possible recycle almost any household item, plastic bags should not be recycled in your curbside bins. Automated single-stream recycling equipment can’t sort them—even if they don’t blow away first.
Buying Bulk? Folding Reusable Bags A Popular Option
Our clients often come to us not quite sure of what bag they want to put their messaging on. We pride ourselves on truly listening to what matters to you—budget, colors, corporate identity, and more—and make thoughtful recommendations for bags that will work best for YOU.
Bulletin Bag [.com]’s current trending is pointing largely towards foldable reusable bags. People love the portability and ease of a bag that can be folded up or stuffed into a pouch. If your recipients love the bag, they’ll want to use it—which increases the number of times your message is seen! It’s a win-win-win!
Hemp Reusable Bags Made in the USA: Closer to Reality?
The Kentucky House of Representatives has passed a bill that creates an administrative framework for industrial hemp production in Kentucky. The bill passed by an overwhelming 88-4 majority. The Senate concurred in a House floor amendment, 35-1.
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said, “By passing this bill, the General Assembly has signaled that Kentucky is serious about restoring industrial hemp production to the Commonwealth and doing it in the right way. That will give Kentucky’s congressional delegation more leverage when they seek a federal waiver allowing Kentucky farmers to grow hemp.”
Proponents of the bill cite its potential to help Kentucky’s farmers and bring thousands of jobs to the state, should the federal government lift the ban on the crop.
Another Plastic Bag Ban: Portland City Council to Draft Ordinance
Plastic grocery bags could soon be a thing of the past in Portland, Maine.
The City Council has formed a workgroup tasked with drafting an ordinance to reduce the use of plastic grocery bags. The group is comprised of people representing Environment Maine, the Maine Restaurant Association, the Maine Audubon Society, and the Maine Grocers Association—as well as local business owners and residents. The group is considering both bag bans and fees.
#WashYourBags To Win A Bag!
Renewed interests in the “studies” claiming reusable grocery bags are causing illness (and even—gasp—death) are driving us crazy. You just can’t believe everything you read—especially when a group with financial interest in the plastic bag industry is involved in its funding and/or administration! While the plastics industry would like us to believe that going back to single-use plastic bags is the only solution, we all know that reusable bags do NOT cause illness.
To spread the word about washing your reusable bags, Bulletin Bag [.com] is giving away 100 cotton reusable bags! The rules are simple, and entering will ultimately help the environment. Just tweet your pledge to #WashYourBags to us @baglady207. If you’re not on Twitter yet, just sign up and follow @BagLady207 (that’s us!). C’mon…let’s put an end to scare tactics designed to get us to switch back to plastic bags!
FMI, visit the contest info page here.
Reusable Cotton Tote Bags: Why We Love Them
Now that our #WashYourBags Twitter campaign is underway, we wanted to share why we chose a cotton bag for our giveaway item.
Cotton is by far our favorite reusable bag material, in part because cotton is machine washable and dryer safe. And, since we know you’re washing your reusable bags regularly, it’s doesn’t get much easier than that! Cotton is also a strong, durable, renewable resource that is widely available in the USA and abroad.
We have chosen to give away our Made in USA Cotton Canvas Bag because it exemplifies our message about always cleaning your reusable bags, and because our USA-made reusable bags are of exceptional quality.
More Reusable Bag Support Leads to Renewed Statewide Interest
More and more cities in California have joined the reusable grocery bag movement—enough to prompt a second look by the state’s legislature. With West Hollywood’s recently passed bag ban, there are now over 10 Southern California municipalities that have approved local ordinances that regulate plastic bag use—with two more going into effect this year.
Other cities, including Los Angeles, are considering bans as well, and are at various stages of the process. If the L.A. ban is proposed and approved, the city will be the largest in the country to ban plastic bags.
