Reading material: About Paper Cups

[Veronica]

You know there is water in beer.

V.

[7rider]

You know there is water in beer.

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/biode...tchenbags.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."

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