Reducing plastic bag consumption
I keep thinking about this plastic bag issue. Last night I was in Shopper’s Drug Mart and for the first time the cashier asked if I would like a plastic bag before just assuming and bagging up all my items. She told me that they now in fact charge 5 cents a bag. My mother was quite flustered by this saying that the only reason they charge is to cover their costs for the bags. I disagree.
So my question is: Does charging for each bag reduce consumption?
Humans have a funny nature of thinking twice when there is a price attached. Whether 5 cents or $20, people tend to think more when they are being charged. I think charging for bags can help reduce consumption in 2 ways. 1. People want to spend less and therefore use less bags 2. Retailers aren’t just assuming that you NEED a bag, and asking which makes the consumer think “do I really need a bag?” . With any hope, consumers will give their head a shake and realize it’s not that hard to bring a reuseable bag and with any luck cut back the drastic over consumption of plastic bags. My hopes is to eliminate the use of plastic shopping bags all together!
Here are some shocking facts on Plastic bags: http://www.greenerfootprints.com/plasticbagfacts/
Urban Impact’s very own Zero Waste Challenge
Urban Impact is looking for an interested, passionate and diversion eager partner in our very own Zero Waste Challenge. This is not an internet dating line! What on earth does that mean? Well its easy, we want to prove that Zero Waste is actually achievable for a business or school setting. If you know of a good candidate can you please forward their name and contact info to info@urbanimpact.com.
I am going to measure how much waste we produce in our household.
My family (two adults and four children) produces a lot of waste. I am curious to figure out how much. So starting August 1, 2009 I am going to weigh each garbage can we dispose of. I think in order to get a good idea on our average disposal for our family, I am going to continue the weighing for the months of August and September. Once we have a baseline, I hope to make improvements. Time will tell and stay tuned. Read the rest of this entry »
Waste to Energy, is it the right option for the lower mainland?
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/06/23/bc-garbage-burning-gvrd.html
What is the lower mainland going to do with 500,000 Mt’s of garbage that would have otherwise been sent to the Cache Creek landfill? The answer is complex and it is not too late to get involved to educate yourself about all the issues and solutions that are being proposed. Metro Vancouver will be looking to the public to voice their opions and help give a direction to the politicians whose hands this decision sits with.
I will post a link for the public hearing information.
Green Thoughts Poll
Loading ...Follow Us On
