Reading material: About Paper Cups

[Grog]

http://thetyee.ca/Views/2008/04/30/Slurp/

Good thinking piece.

[VeloVT]

At my university all of the places you can buy coffee will fill your reusable mug for $1.00, regardless of the size. Otherwise a large coffee is around $1.80... There are lots of places on campus where one can buy reusable mugs too... I am actually cheap enough that I bought a travel mug that specifically fits on my bike and doesn't spill. (OK, confession time: I bought it at Starbucks 'cause it was the only one I could find anywhere that BOTH fit nicely into a bottle cage AND had a good top closing mechanism... so yes, while I bought it to make it possible for me to save money, it's probably just barely paid for itself by now... but it's stainless, so no scary leaching chemicals...).

Maybe a small tax rebate could be offered to businesses that offer incentives for consumers to bring reusable containers -- and maybe a larger one for businesses that require it???? Or something...

I purchased two "boat & tote" type bags that I keep in my car for use at the grocery store too. Every time I go grocery shopping it makes me feel all warm & fuzzy that I'm not taking home 3-6 plastic bags...

[mimitabby]

thank you for caring

[OakLeaf]

Do you have to argue with the cashiers/baggers about your shopping bags? They're getting better about it in the last 6 months or so, now that all the stores are selling shopping bags. But it used to be a real struggle, still is sometimes. Everything has to go in a plastic bag. Sometimes they would pull out a bag and then throw it away when I didn't want it :(:mad:

[Jolt]

Do you have to argue with the cashiers/baggers about your shopping bags? They're getting better about it in the last 6 months or so, now that all the stores are selling shopping bags. But it used to be a real struggle, still is sometimes. Everything has to go in a plastic bag. Sometimes they would pull out a bag and then throw it away when I didn't want it :(:mad:

Yeah, I've had that kind of stuff happen on a number of occasions--tell them I brought my own bags, put them on the counter, and then they still proceed to stick things in plastic bags and I have to stop them! The lady at Walgreens today did it, as a matter of fact, and I had to remind her. I think part of it is that it's just such a habit for them to use the plastic bags so it throws them a bit when someone does the BYOB thing. As more people start doing it, that should get better.

[shootingstar]

Am just lazy... I don't bring my own mug to coffee shops. But I simply appreciate more shops offering coffee in paper cups not in unhealthy styrofoam.

At work, employer keeps dishes in cupboard and everyone often uses the company's cups for endless bottomless cup of coffee for allday and night. So that includes me as a frequent coffee drinker 'cause coffee is free.

[mimitabby]

Yeah, I've had that kind of stuff happen on a number of occasions--tell them I brought my own bags, put them on the counter, and then they still proceed to stick things in plastic bags and I have to stop them! The lady at Walgreens today did it, as a matter of fact, and I had to remind her. I think part of it is that it's just such a habit for them to use the plastic bags so it throws them a bit when someone does the BYOB thing. As more people start doing it, that should get better.

or they'll put 2 items in one bag and a 3rd in another, and there I am emptying the one bag and trying to hand it back.
Or "I DON'T NEED A BAG" and gather up my stuff in my hands. THAT gets some looks.
Yes, I dump my new cloth bags right where they can see them and often they still use their plastic. and i have to undo it, but I think they're getting better.

[VeloVT]

my bags are honking BIG, so they don't miss or ignore them. However, I do sometime get people putting say, a stick of deodorant in its own plastic bag, and putting that in my cloth bag. Presumably because the (normal solid antiperspirant) deodorant might spill? :confused::confused::confused:

Today I had some deli cheese and deli turkey. Each was wrapped in wax paper and then placed in a ziplock bag. The bagger put them in a plastic bag to put in my cloth bag. There was no way either of them was going to leak, but the bagger was a frail 85-year old man and I didn't have the heart to challenge him.

[kat_h]

Two years ago I would have been jumping right in with the bagger stories but the staff at the Safeway I shop at have really improved. Maybe they just recognise me. They don't even offer me plastic bags for meat anymore.

On the topic of the cups - I don't like drinking out of paper or styro cups. I'm not a coffee drinker so that's not a huge temptation anyway, but I do take reusable 7-11 cups back for Slurpees. I don't think our society will stop using disposable cups any time soon, but in the mean time I'd like to see cups that aren't dyed. Granted we'd still be logging trees and filling landfills, but reducing the inks would at least be a start.

[bmccasland]

I think there's some regulation about non-food items have to be separate from food items. Last week Whole Foods even put my soap, shampoo and conditioner in a plastic bag before they that in my cloth bags. At my local grocery (Winn Dixie), I often wind up bagging my own groceries, and I stuff it all together. If they actually have extra people and bag my groceries for me, I've chastised them for one or two items per plastic bag. Generally I'll stop by the plastic bag recycle bin and rebag my groceries. I've got to get in the habit to take my cloth bags again to Winn Dixie.

[OakLeaf]

I've got to get in the habit to take my cloth bags again to Winn Dixie.

As soon as I unpack a grocery bag, it goes on the front doorknob. That way the next time I head out the door, the bag goes with me to the car. Otherwise I'll forget it. On the bike, either I already have my backpack, or I just re-load my shopping cart without bags to carry my purchases out to the panniers. And I usually bring more than one bag in anyway, so if they want to pack non-food items separately, that's okay. (Usually I prefer to bag my own even if there is a bagger, just because they have no idea of how to pack bags any more and wind up putting lettuce on the bottom and big bags of rice on top!)

I also prefer the self-checkout if there is one, which is good in that you always get to bag your own groceries, but bad in that if you want to set your bags on the carousel and bag as you buy, you have to alert the attendant ahead of time to zero out the weight.

I'm not the best about bringing my shopping bags into non-food stores, but I'm getting better about it :o

Sorry for the thread hijack - it just isn't that often I patronize places that even use non-reusable beverage containers. Buying Gatorade at a convenient store on bike rides is about it. And yes I know I should carry premix :o

[pll]

Question about mugs: I actually use my own glass mug at the office, but I wonder what the cost of water to clean said mug is (and what the tally would look like if everyone in the building did it), factoring in dish soap and cleaning agents for the sink. In an office without a kitchen sink, a bathroom sink with coffee stain is very unattractive....

[Veronica]

We're doing our state math test right now. I told my students they had to do any figuring in their test booklets, to please not use scratch paper since it would just end going to the landfill. There is a lot of empty space in the test booklets and they are allowed to write in them.

I still get my groceries in plastic bags. They fit my kitchen trash can nicely and I've also started using them when I scoop the kittens' litter box. It keeps my garbage can from being so stinky.

V.

[mimitabby]

PLL the cost of the water is far less than the cost of the water to feed the tree, the cost of the petroleum products to harvest, transport, and process (and the water for that too) Water is renewable a lot faster than trees are. or petroleum is.


At the grocery store, we like to give positive reinforcement to whomever is bagging our groceries. WOW, you got a lot in THAT bag!! GOOD WORK!!

[Veronica]

Water isn't actually renewable, it's a cycle.

Did you know the water you are drinking this morning in your coffee could have been water that a dinosaur stood in or Lewis and Clark canoed through, or Shakespeare washed with?

V.

[Trek420]

Coffee: my pre work cup-a-joe I bring my own cup. Knotted gave me one that's ... made from corn. Looks like a regular mug yet quite the conversation piece in the coffee line
"ooh, you brought your own cup"
"yep, they give .10 off here and it's made from corn"
":eek: :D nice"

Bags: BMOB mostly cloth, I have quite the collection from Bike to Work Day:D. Trader Joes puts you in a drawing for a gift card (I've never won), Safeway gives you $ off etc. Besides the green thing I just find them easier to carry.

Plastic bags: If they give them, I take them, I don't quibble or jump up and down. Sometimes talk about why I bring my own with clerks, store owners etc. But if they give me plastic bags that's ok. I have to admit that on dog walks I pick up plastic bags we encounter on the ground, not if they are messy but if they are clean we pick them up. All these bags get used for mutt poop bags. :) We need 'em, Mae gets lots of walks.

Still it's a lot of bags. Its no trouble to drop the rest of the bags off on the way into the store at the plastic bag recycling bin we have at most stores here.

[OakLeaf]

Water isn't actually renewable, it's a cycle.

Did you know the water you are drinking this morning in your coffee could have been water that a dinosaur stood in or Lewis and Clark canoed through, or Shakespeare washed with?

V.

Ewwwwww.... Richard Nixon's pee.... I'm switching to beer.

[Veronica]

You know there is water in beer. :D

V.

[Jolt]

Ewwwwww.... Richard Nixon's pee.... I'm switching to beer.

LOL--as soon as I read Veronica's post that you quoted I thought "or somebody's urine..."; I guess I'm not the only one!

[jesvetmed]

I still get my groceries in plastic bags. They fit my kitchen trash can nicely and I've also started using them when I scoop the kittens' litter box. It keeps my garbage can from being so stinky.

OK.. Here's my question. I do the same and "reuse" multiple times. Starts as a grocery bag, is then used as a lunch bag, and graduates after that to kitchen garbage bag.

Is there a good alternative to garbage bags? I have tried to find ANY garbage bags that are from recycled material and just haven't seen anything.

So, if I have to buy garbage bags, haven't I made things even worse in the long run? At least the grocery bag gets three uses this way.

I've been having guilt about this for awhile (do I need a life? :confused:)

THANKS for any input!
Jes

[jesvetmed]

I lost this thread on my listing :confused:.
Wondering if anyone has a comment on their use of plastic bags / garbage bags.... See my above post. Thanks!
J

[7rider]

You know there is water in beer. :D

V.

Yeah, but the alcohol kills the cooties!

I generally don't get coffee at coffee shops, so the whole paper/styrofoam cup thing is lost on me. I either drink coffee at home b/f work or carry coffee from home in a vaccuum thermos that fits in my bottle cage on the bike. I have a mug at the office that I use and re-use.

Re: grocery bags. I have a fairly large selection of cloth-bag options, and sometimes, I even remember to take them to the store with me! I save all the plastic bags I've gotten for re-use. I get all itchy if I just throw them out without at least using them for some other purpose (like freezer trash or whatever). Last time I was in Trader Joe's, they didn't have any slips for the drawing for those who re-use bags. I was kind of bummed about that...not that I've ever won or anything. My local grocery stores also give you a credit of any where from $0.03 to $0.05/bag re-used.

Oh...and haven't found an option for kitchen garbage bags (the 33 gallon sized - or is it 13??). : (

[Blueberry]

How 'bout these bags: http://www.ecokitchen.com/shop/biodegradablekitchenbags.html

I haven't tried them, but they are a corn plastic. And are biodegradable.

I definitely have biodegradable dog poop bags. Of course, if we get plastic bags despite our best efforts, we also re-purpose those to poop duty.

CA

[redrhodie]

Our stores are bad about packing everything in separate bags. I often bring cloth, but sometimes like to get plastic because I also use them for garbage bags later.

Well, when one of the baggers was insisting the cans of cat food needed to be in their own bag, DBF came to the rescue with this lightening fast comment, "We're going to have that for dinner, so it's fine to bag it all together." :D

Oceanfish Feast. Yum. ;)

[GLC1968]

I'm amazed how much it varies by location. In NC, I'd pull out my own bag and people would look at me like I was weird (except for at Earth Fare, but that whole place was different). And when I'd buy two things at CVS or Home Depot and say that I didn't want a bag, they were like "what, you just want to carry it?".

Here, not so much. In fact, a lot of places ask if I even want a bag which is nice because it reminds me not to mindlessly take one!

And I keep a travel mug in my car so that I don't have to get disposable cups when I stop for coffee somewhere. I haven't figured out a good way of handling soda type drinks. My coffee cup wouldn't be big enough, but I don't really own any type of cup that would be the right size.... I'll have to think about that one.

Oh, and I bought a couple of these bags and they are AWESOME! They hold a ton, are super strong, have comfy handles when heavy, and they roll up to about the size of a deck of cards, so I can leave one in my purse at all times.

http://www.envirosax.com/pages/products.php?icat=1


If you want biodegradeable garbage bags, there are lots of options here (some that are even compostable!):
http://www.earthbasics.com.au/prod10pbg1.html

[Brandi]

How about your favorite thai food place that uses styro. How do you get them to change?
I use my plastic bags for cat waste. But i try and use my clth bags as well. I put my paper bags in recycle bin. We use the paper bags for our can's. We don't use plastic bottle's anymore. We use stainless sig bottles.

[Blueberry]

How about your favorite thai food place that uses styro. How do you get them to change?

Recycle it? Are you getting takeout or taking leftovers home? If leftovers, bring your own container. Takeout is a little harder - but I've been known to let places know I think it changes the flavor of food.

CA

[mimitabby]

OK.. Here's my question. I do the same and "reuse" multiple times. Starts as a grocery bag, is then used as a lunch bag, and graduates after that to kitchen garbage bag.

Is there a good alternative to garbage bags? I have tried to find ANY garbage bags that are from recycled material and just haven't seen anything.

So, if I have to buy garbage bags, haven't I made things even worse in the long run? At least the grocery bag gets three uses this way.

I've been having guilt about this for awhile (do I need a life? :confused:)

THANKS for any input!
Jes

After years of throwing away trash in the brown paper bags that my groceries came in, my husband bought a garbage can for inside and bought plastic bags for it. As a result, not only are we now using plastic for the trash, if we're not real careful, it STINKS HORRIBLY because unlike paper bags, it doesn't breath and gets disgusting fast.
If it was just me, I would be using whatever bags were around, and even with taking cloth bags to the store, we STILL have oodles of plastic bags around here from assorted places. I use them as well for cat litter.
When I had more brown paper bags, I doubleed them and used them for cat litter too. I use feed bags to dispose of litter, as well as the bags the litter came in.

[OakLeaf]

No reason to use bags at all for dry trash. As for wet trash, in the country, we compost. In town, between the rats and raccoons, composting really isn't an option, so we do use small garbage bags for the wet trash (and what the vacuum cleaner picks up).

Yeah, when we had dogs, we used poop bags too, no real way around that - I guess you could carry a pail and small shovel on walks and flush the results, but then you're using potable water :confused:

Once something goes into the landfill, it won't degrade regardless. I guess the corn oil based bags are ultimately less toxic - but how much petroleum did it take to grow the corn?

[jesvetmed]

I listened to an NPR conversation last week -- they talked about the "biodegradable" and "compostable" cups and bags... basically it takes specialized recycling ability to actually get the compost "hot" enough to compost the cups (which most recyclers are not yet doing), and the bags only biodgrade over long periods of time, IF exposed currectly to the environment (which the point out is unlikely in a large pile of garbage at the dump). It seems overwhelming to know the right thing to do. :(

One person suggested using the compostable cups to plant seedlings in (put them straight into the ground once big enough to replant the seedlings). Said he thought that in that environment it could be fairly broken down in 1-2 years, but no one had studied it.

It would be nice to find garbage bags made from a large percentage of recycled products, not just "recyclable" in their own right. I'll keep looking! In the mean time, I just try to keep the actual garbage down to a minimum and remember my bags and cups from home. THANKS for all the suggestions here. Important topic to chat about.

[OakLeaf]

FWIW, rather than having a real compost pile last year, I was just throwing my kitchen waste in an unused spot in the garden patch. (Grass clippings and autumn leaves went in a separate pile to use as mulch.) I tilled in a couple of those corn oil-based salad bar containers, and haven't seen any scraps of plastic this year. Maybe it's just broken up into very small pieces and not actually biodegraded yet, but as long as they're nontoxic, I don't suppose it much matters.

Cornstarch packing peanuts are water soluble. I have plenty of the EPS ones to reuse :( (plus I didn't want to leave any potential mouse food around the house), so I just threw the starch peanuts on the pile and they soaked into the ground with the first rain.

[jesvetmed]

Oakleaf: That is great to know! We rent this place so no current compost / mulch piling going on. But when we get the new house... (she says dreamily:rolleyes:).

[Blueberry]

I haven't searched all over...but is there a concensus on a good hot beverage mug that fits into a standard water bottle cage? I know about the Nissan hiker mug, but that has a straw (which I don't think I want with hot stuff). Other ideas??

I've been looking envoiusly at some of the lunch kits on the reusable bag sites. Bento kits and the like. Very cool - more veggies would probably be consumed:rolleyes: Might be worth it:)

CA

[sgtiger]

CA_in_NC - Nissan Thermos Backpack vacuum bottle model JMV-500 will fit in a water bottle cage. Mine fitted a bit loosely so I was experiencing some rattling. I picked up a Topeak adjustable cage to fix that, but someone(Eden?) else mentioned on another thread that she just bent her cage.

Here are a couple of places online that carry it:
http://sweetmarias.com/prod.travelmugs-bottles.shtml
http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-STAINLESS-STEEL-BACKPACK-BOTTLE/dp/B000K604P0/ref=pd_bbs_11?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1209875191&sr=8-11

I think I saw some at the local Target, too.