RE: [GreenYes] plastic bags - let's have some shared responsibility

[GW K <simplyorganic@yahoo.com>]

Terri,
Thank you for the site...
This contact has motivated me to check with the other
farm that does paper bags:
 http://www.stahlbush.com/Farm.html
and collect info that I can pass on to Cascadian.  I
have been committed to "Organic" from before it was
"cool" and I want to support the industry.  

Glen Koch
Seattle, Wa

--- "Steen, Terri - Contractor"
<Terri_Steen@belvoir.army.mil> wrote:
> Glen, 
> Here's the web site for Cascadian Farms:
> http://www.cfarm.com/index.asp .
> Their focus is on organic foods, but maybe you could
> contact them and see if
> they are open to exploring alternatives to their
> plastic packaging.  I wish
> I knew if there WERE alternatives - but for frozen
> veggies, I'm not too
> optimistic.  
> 
> I really liked Melissa's story yesterday about the
> clerk who took back the
> plastic bag and threw it away, thus defeating the
> entire purpose of NOT
> using a bag....it's a constant process of educating
> people who don't know
> what we know.
> 
> As committed environmentalists, we all have to make
> choices like yours all
> the time - the organic veggies are a priority for
> you, but there may be a
> trade-off as opposed to buying fresh veggies that
> aren't organic.  You have
> to decide which is most important and where to pick
> your battles.
> 
> Trex works here on the East Coast as well - they
> have a plant in Winchester
> VA and they buy back the bags from Giant and the
> other regional grocery
> stores.  The problem with plastic bag collection is
> the space it takes to
> store them - I have done the math on this, and to
> generate a full (40,000
> lb) tractor trailer of plastic bags and other film
> would take close to 1
> million bags (at 3/4 of an ounce each).  Even here
> on Fort Belvoir, with the
> largest Commissary in the known world, it would take
> more than a year to
> generate that many bags - much less collect them
> all, clean and dry, bale
> them and store them, etc.  So we bundle them up and
> take them to the closest
> Giant every so often, and we wish Trex could help
> with a regional collection
> route, but so far no luck.
> 
> Keep up the good work, all!
> Terri Steen
> 
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: 	Anne Morse [mailto:AMorse@Co.Winona.MN.US] 
> Sent:	Wednesday, May 30, 2001 3:13 PM
> To:	multiple recipients of
> Subject:	[GreenYes] plastic bags - let's have some
> shared responsibility
> 
> After thirteen years of working hard to improve our
> recycling programs, I am
> the most frustrated with the ubiquitous plastic
> bags!  In addition to
> showing up in our roadsides where they stay forever,
> they also appear
> consistently in our curbside program, and are a
> significant contaminant
> therein. Despite the fact that precious few get
> recycled, they even carry a
> recycling logo! Enough is enough, we have simply got
> to improve upon our
> current system for film plastic.  
> 
> To that end, I offer a simple position:  every store
> that uses plastic bags
> in which to pack their goods should also accept them
> back for recycling. 
> 
> This is, of course, the fairest method of handling
> the bags.  If they are
> used at retail because they are so cheap and easy,
> then the same retailer
> should also bear the burden of handling them on the
> other end. They may well
> find that the reuse and recycling options are not
> quite as cheap and easy. 
> 
> The grocers and retailers can easily aggregate the
> used bags with a bin at
> the front door, as some already do.  Then, they can
> be backhauled on the
> same trucks that bring the products to their door.
> 
> These retailers are also the only players in the
> whole system that have any
> real leverage to ensure that the bags are recycled,
> because they can tell
> the supplier of the bags that they won't be buying
> their bags unless they
> also take bags back for recycling.  
> 
> What do you say, shall we make a start?
> 
> 
> Anne Morse
> Winona County Environmental Services
> 225 W 2nd St.
> Winona, MN  55987
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: GW K [mailto:simplyorganic@yahoo.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2001 2:00 PM
> To: multiple recipients of
> Cc: GreenYes
> Subject: RE: plastic bags - Buy a reusable cloth bag
> and refuse plastic
> ba gs!
> 
> 
> Mark,
> Unfortunetly in my case the problem isn't solved.  I
> do use cloth bags and reuse plastics for wet items.
> the main culprit in my world is organic frozen
> vegetable bags, some companys use paper bags which I
> can and do compost.  Long term, if no solution, I
> will
> have to eliminate Cascadin Farms products but at
> this
> point that is not viable for me.  
> 
> To GRRN folks.....What fun!!!!!  Thank you for all
> the
> responses...SOOO nice to be able to share with you
> all.
> 
> 
> :)
> Glen Koch
> Seattle, Wa
> 
> 
>
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