Plastic bags

[laryu.livejournal.com]

As hard as I try to always use re-usable bags, I still end up with a pile of plastic bags over a long period of time. The CVS in Davis Square no longer seems to take plastic bags back. Is there another local store that will take back plastic bags for recycling?

Comments

[ron_newman]

Star Market in Porter Square, or Market Basket. At both stores, the plastic bag recycling bin is in the same little room as the bottle and can returning machines.

I also put cereal box liners, plastic wrapper for paper towels and toilet paper, and newspaper bags into these bins.

[laryu.livejournal.com]

Perfect. Thanks so much.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

in re additions:

I do too, but it feels somehow like abusing the system! I wish this stuff was more clearly recyclable since you literally cannot get away from it.

[ron_newman]

One of the bins I've used explicitly says that this stuff is OK to throw in. I don't remember which one anymore. Except for the newspaper bags, this stuff all comes from a grocery store anyway.

The Globe could do a lot to reduce this kind of waste by not putting their papers in plastic bags when they are being delivered to an indoor location such as my apartment building's entry foyer.

[yendi]

Alas, according to Planet Money (which did a podcast on it early last year, and a follow-up in their year-end podcast), even places that take plastic bags often end up dumping them into landfills.

[aredridel.livejournal.com]

Stop and Shop in Clarendon Hill as well as other answers.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

The stop and shop I go to (down near the 93 on ramp) takes them back.

[leafshimmer.livejournal.com]

I take mine to the Whole Foods off Route 16 in Medford.

I am stockpiling some now because I work in Cambridge where an ordinance banning plastic bags is about to go in effect, and I've heard that they are going to be collecting clean ones in good shape to distribute to elderly and poor folk who can't afford nice cloth bags or just can't get with the program for whatever reason.

[ron_newman]

My understanding is the Cambridge wants to collect extra cloth or canvas bags, not plastic or paper. I brought a whole bunch to the North Cambridge Senior Center last month. They took all of my cloth bags, but didn't want the paper or plastic (even fancy ones with handles).

Link: Cambridge Reusable Bag Drive

[paradoox.livejournal.com]

So, Newton passed an ordinance (similar to Brookline's) banning plastic bags with some small exceptions (take out). Most places just switched back to paper. (Yay!) Star Market was going to charge for paper and too many people said they would switch to Wegman's or TJs or go to S&S in Watertown and Star backed down.

I do find it amusing that you get coffee in Styrofoam cups in Newton but no plastic bags, but you get plastic bags and no Styrofoam cups in Somerville.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Despite the overwhelming efforts behind the reusable bags movement, including by stores themselves, plenty of stores still freak out when I bring my own disposable bags or try to use no bags at all. They either insist on giving me bags, or put "paid" stickers on everything I buy.

Stores in Cambridge are *required* to charge for paper bags as of March 31, and plastic bags will be banned. How many pounds of carbon emissions or cubic feet of landfill space is this law supposed to save? Will they assess whether it meets this goal, and what will they do if it doesn't?

Even though I myself avoid taking new plastic bags, I think such laws are ridiculous. They direct a huge amount of effort that can only have a minuscule benefit even if it succeeds.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

AIUI, standard plastic and paper bags are about even, environmentally. Different resources but no clear win. The effect of loose plastic bags on wildlife may be an exception. My bags generally get re-used for garbage, not loose...

I'd be all for taxing either or both kinds of bag, maybe with a discount for bioplastic (vs. fossil fuel) or biodegradable plastic, but the outright ban seems like a bandwagon to me. Possibly driven by people who drive to their shopping; I usually walk or bike, and paper bag handles rip a lot in walking IME. (Not to mention this "rain" thing.)

[kelkyag]

<nod> Paper bags being annoying to carry and plastic bag handles being hard on my hands motivates me to bring cloth bags more than environmental considerations do.

[avjudge]

Plus my favorite canvas bags have straps long enough to go over my shoulders - so I can double what I carry (2 shoulders + 2 hands) OR actually manipulate door handles etc. while carrying my bags.

I've never seen a store freak out for canvas bags, or seen one put paid stickers on stuff that goes into any kind of bag. You do often have to catch cashiers/baggers before they put the first item in a plastic bag, though, even if you have the canvas bag out - it's just such an automatic motion for them.

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

The main reason I bring my own bags is to prevent cashiers from using stickers or their bags.

[ron_newman]

Market Basket has always been good about using my canvas bags, provided that I put them on the checkout lane conveyor belt along with my purchases.

K-Mart

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

When I take in a reusable bag into K-Mart, they don't seem to understand the concept.

But, on Saturday, they had some kind of customer appreciation day and gave away cloth bags. And they were surprised when I used that bag at checkout.