Re: [GreenYes] Re: Grocery Bags

["Roger Guttentag" <rgutten@concentric.net>]

Greetings:

 I found a Waste Age article in the February 1999 issue, "Grocery Store
Solid Waste Management: Looking Behind the Aisles" which is a great article
about supermarket waste management issues.  It includes a side box on the
paper vs. plastic issue though I did not find a reference to the cost of
paper bags (though it does have one for plastic).  The Paper Bag Council
(part of the American Forest & Paper Association) also has an interesting
website which may be helpful:

http://www.paperbag.org/index.htm

As a final comment, the environmentally superior solution would a reusable
shopping bag.  One idea that I have, which I have not seen implemented
(though I would be interested in knowing if it has been done) would be for
the store to develop a branded shopping bag (one with its name and logo)
that it could sell but then give a small rebate to the consumer each time it
was used.  Perhaps a barcode could be attached to the bag so it was
scannable for the purpose of both awarding the rebate and tracking customer
bag reuse patterns.  Going further, each bag user could then become eligible
to win a prize that is awarded monthly by the store.  In this way, you have
a win / win situation - the store gets to save on single use bags, builds
store loyalty and has an environmentally preferable advertising platform.
The customer gets a useful (and hopefully nice-looking) bag, saves money and
gets a chance to win cash or merchandise.

Roger M. Guttentag
610-584-8836
rgutten@concentric.net

----- Original Message -----
From: Blair Pollock <bpollock@co.orange.nc.us>
To: <greenyes@grrn.org>
Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 3:38 PM
Subject: [GreenYes] Re: [Greenyes Digest] V3 #103


> Greenyes/M. Lingenfelter:
>
> My memory is of one study several years ago  that detailed that cost of
the bag at $0.047 each,  thus the nickel should be sufficient for the store
to justify the refund because it itself saves that nickel. Can't cite the
study tho it may have appeared in Waste Age. there is some value to the bag
in the recycling mix at least here in NC, they call for it to be placed w/
OCC therefore, always has a positive value, Therefore, I don't know how to
comment on the 'cost' of recycling the bag. The large version of these bags
typically hold more than a plastic bag (the other day the checkout clerk
gave me seven plastic bags for ten items, no kidding. Thus comparing one to
one unless there's a volume reduction factor, does not give a true
comparison of that alternative.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2002 01:55:06 -0700
> From: "susankinsella.com" <seek@susankinsella.com>
> Subject: [GreenYes] Grocery Bags
>
> I received the following request and don't have the exact stats he's
looking
> for. Do others? -- "I'm looking for a study done on or information leading
> to clear statistics on the cost of a traditional brown paper bag, what it
> costs to recycle that bag, and how much money is saved if the consumer is
> convinced to reuse that bag at the store of purchase. I am putting
together
> a presentation to encourage the grocery store I work at to return 5 cents
> for every bag that is returned and reused.  Thank you." Rome Lingenfelter
> (You can answer direct to gypsywind71@yahoo.com.)
>
> Thanks,
> Susan Kinsella
> Conservatree
>
> ------------------------------
>
> __________________________________________________
> Blair Pollock
> Solid Waste Programs Manager
> (919) 968-2788
> fax: (919) 932-2900
> PO Box 17177
> Chapel Hill, NC 27516-7177
>
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