Retailers Pay Customers to Bring Their Own Bags

Retailers are finding that the best way to get consumers to ditch plastic bags and go green is to give them money back. Targer and CVS are the latest retailers who are giving discount incentives to customers who bring in their own reusable bags instead of using the store’s plastic bags. The move establishes them as green companies in the mind of consumers and reduces pollution caused by plastic bags.

Although smaller retailers have offered incentives in the past, CVS/pharmacy (with about 7,000 stores) and Target (about 1,700 stores) are the largest to do so.

“The general public wouldn’t think of them as green companies,” said Dr. Scott Testa, a business professor at Cabrini College in Philadelphia. “If CVS can differentiate itself and be looked at as the ‘green’ drug store then conceivably they’ll gain more customers.”

In order to participate, CVS/pharmacy customers will have to buy a tag (which costs 99 cents) to attach to their reusable bag and swipe it every time they bring it in. The tag is connected to the company’s ExtraCare Rewards program. On every fourth visit, customers will earn a $1 Extra Care Buck that will print on their receipt and they can redeem for future purchases.

At Target, customers will get 5 cents off their bill for every reusable bag they use when they visit. The retailer piloted the program in 100 stores and counted a 58 percent increase in reusable bag use. The program officially begins in stores on November 1, 2009.

Besides generating a greener image, marketing experts say the move could also help the companies save money by reducing plastic bag use. However, both companies say that money is not their motivation: “We wouldn’t be giving back extra bucks” if it was just about saving money, said Melissa Studzinski, director of relationship marketing at CVS.

“The savings is about the same amount as what we’re rewarding our guests for the program,” said Target spokesperson Amy Reilly.

Tackling plastic bag use is a smart move for retailers, experts say, as disposable plastic bags have been a target of environmentalists and lawmakers for years. They say the bags take up too much space in landfills and pollute waterways.

San Francisco was the first city in the United States to ban plastic bags two years ago. Other cities have tried, but so far Los Angeles is the only other major cities to ban plastic bag waste. The ban goes into effect in the middle of next year. Washington D.C. will tax the bags next year in an attempt to reduce use.

Just this week, San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi—who played a major part in getting plastic bags banned—introduced a new plan that would make it mandatory for supermarkets and pharmacies to give customers a 10-cent discount every time they use a reusable bag.

While Target and CVS are the latest retailers to introduce bag benefits, smaller retailers have already offered the same types of incentives.

Regional supermarket Stop & Shop gives customers 5 cents off their total bill for any shopping bag they bring from home.

For over a year, Whole Foods Market has been giving customers up to a 10-cent discount for bringing in a reusable bag. The company banned plastic bags from its store checkouts in favor of paper bags in 2008.

The company announced in April of this year that since the ban, 150 million bags were kept out of landfills and reusable bag use had tripled, and continues to grow.

“Consumers are sensitive to being taken advantage of,” said Kristin Heist, a senior strategist at  Continuum, a global innovation consultancy.

“With an incentive,” she added, “consumers feel like they’re winning—they’re helping the environment and saving money at the same time.”

[Article from CNBC]

Ottawa Green Bin Program

Ottawa is beginning organic recycling pickup starting January 2010 and has started distributing their green bins all over the city. The first phase of the Green Bin program will target the majority of Ottawa residents: People living in single and low-rise residences in urban, suburban and rural village areas that currently have single set out garbage and recycling pick up. Over 2010-2011, the City will be investigating service for high-rise buildings, and residences with common pad collection. Roll out to remaining residences including rural, non-village residents will be determined with the new collections contract, set to commence 2012.

Check out Green Bin Ottawa’s fun and interactive website for more information, tips and more.

Green your Halloween!

Halloween is just around the corner, so here are a few quick tips to “green” it up:

- Make your own costume or buy one at a second hand shop. It also helps to purchase costume items that you can reuse in the future. If you are feeling extra creative, take a look at your blue recycling bin and create a costume from leftover recycled items- toilet paper rolls and cardboard boxes can go a long way!

- Instead of using plastic/paper bags to collect candy, opt for a Halloween themed reusable bag. Environmentally-friendly shopping bags are not only great for the Earth, but are more durable, sturdy and comfortable for children to carry.

- Instead of using the usual disposable Halloween decorations, look into using natural items like pumpkins, gourds and straw bales which are inexpensive and can be composted after use. Decorate with home made crafts- rake the leaves in your yard and stuff them inside old clothing to make a creepy scarecrow or “dead” body.

- Create a “spooky” atmosphere but turning off all lights except perhaps your front porch light so trick or treaters know you are home. Light a couple of candles instead to help keep the mood alive and save electricity at the same time.

 

Reasons to Go Green with Reusable Shopping Bags

We found a great article on “50 Reasons to Go Green with Reusable Shopping Bags” and wanted to share our favorites with you:

• Plastic is forever. Almost every plastic bag you have touched in your lifetime still exists in some shape or form. With few exceptions, plastic bags will take thousands of years to break down. The bag my first pair of shoes came in a couple decades ago is out there, somewhere.

• Consumer Cost. At 5 cents a bag in many North American shops, the bucks add up! Ireland pays a hefty 15 cents per bag “Plastax” tax. Buying a bin or reusable bag can save you hundreds over the years. While keeping costs down is a concern for many, there are more pressing plastic matters at stake!

• Global Warming. Manufactured plastic and paper bags contribute to global warming. Paper bag production delivers a global warming double-whammy since forests (major absorbers of greenhouse gases) have to be cut down, and then the subsequent manufacturing of bags produces greenhouse gases.

• Marine Life. Over 100,000 marine animals are killed each year from plastic bags. Sea turtles, water birds, and other creatures mistake them for food or become entangled in them. In some parts of the ocean, there are six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton.

• Shopper incentives. Many stores offer shoppers discounts and program points for bagging with reusables. Small cents add up to big dollars over time.

• Multipurpose. Reusable bags can be used for tasks beyond grocery shopping. Cart gardening gear, sort clothing, move to a new apartment – the options are endless.

Thank You!

A quick ‘thank you’ to everyone that came to visit us (booth #1427) at the Expo East Show this past weekend..It was a great show and lovely to meet clients old and new!

Come See Us at the Natural Products Expo East Show!

Oasis Bags will be exhibiting at the Natural Products Expo East show in Boston from September 24-26 at booth #1427. Come by to say hi and pick up one of our reusable bags!

‘Save the Bay’ unveils annual list of most-polluted local waterways

By Tracy Seipel 

tseipel@mercurynews.com

As the San Jose City Council prepares to vote this fall on whether to ban plastic and paper shopping bags, a new study being released today underscores the growing problem of plastic trash in Bay Area waterways, including Coyote Creek.

The creek, which runs through parts of unincorporated Santa Clara County as well as Morgan Hill, San Jose and Milpitas before emptying into San Francisco Bay, is among the Top 10 “Bay Trash Hot Spots” of 2009 named in the study by Save The Bay.

The environmental advocacy group’s fourth annual list of polluted area waterways was compiled based on the number of plastic bags volunteers removed from those sites during last year’s Coastal Cleanup Day. All told, 184 tons of waste were collected from the bay, including more than 26,000 plastic bags. About 1,100 bags were collected from Coyote Creek alone.

Save The Bay estimates that 1 million plastic bags end up in the bay annually.

“On that day alone, 15,000 bags were removed from just these 10 spots,” said David Lewis, executive director of Save The Bay. Countless others, he said, blow and wash into creeks and storm drains that carry them into the bay.

Lewis is asking Bay Area mayors to prioritize legislation that would end the distribution of free single-use bags, both plastic and paper, and require residents to switch to reusable bags.

“I think the support for this is very strong in San Jose,” Lewis said.

Last month, a four-member San Jose City Council committee agreed to push forward on a proposed ordinance directing major grocery stores and big-box retailers to stop giving out plastic bags. Paper bags made with mostly recycled materials would be allowed, but only for a fee. The council has asked city staff to study the issue before drafting an ordinance.

Mayor Chuck Reed said the city should “work together with the entire county on some sort of uniform ordinance. San Jose alone can’t solve this problem.”

In the Bay Area, only San Francisco and Palo Alto have enacted plastic-bag bans.

Representatives from the plastics industry said they agree that plastic bags should not end up in the waterways, but they say calls for a ban are misguided.

“Plastics don’t belong in the oceans or the watersheds, they belong in the recycling bin,” said Keith Christman, senior director of market advocacy for the plastics division of the American Chemistry Council.

But Lewis of Save The Bay said recycling plastic bags doesn’t work. He points to a California Integrated Waste Management Board estimate that less than 5 percent of all single-use plastic bags in the state are recycled “A lot of it ends up in landfills,” he said.

Christman points to a different study that suggests municipal bans on plastic bags only lead to consumers using more paper bags, which he says require massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions to produce.

Lewis said people can judge the scope of the problem themselves by volunteering for Saturday’s Coastal Cleanup Day, which is organized by the California Coastal Commission. The event takes place from 9 a.m. to noon at sites around the state; for more information, go to www.coastal.ca.gov.

To read Save The Bay’s Top 10 list, go to www.savesfbay.org

Introduction of Carbon Tax Suggested in Ireland

The Commission on Taxation has recommended the introduction of a carbon tax to help cut Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions.

In a report published this morning [SEPT 7, 2009], the commission said this tax should apply to all carbon-based fuels sold for use in Ireland and should be based on the tonnes of CO2 emitted by each fuel. It said the tax could raise €500 million per year.

“The tax should be clearly visible at the point of final consumption to ensure it is not seen as ‘just another tax’”, the report said.

The Commission said a carbon tax would encourage polluters to cut emissions to save money and encourage innovation. “It is fair in the sense that those who choose to pollute the most, pay the most,” it said.

While there should be no preferential rates, businesses who are involved in the Emissions Trading Scheme should be exempt, it said.

The commission said the tax rate should approximate the current ETS price. It proposes a base price of €20 per tonne of carbon emitted and notes that the ESRI suggested a carbon tax of €20 per tonne could raise €480 million next year and €500 million in 2011.

It encouraged continued research into measures to reduce emissions from agriculture but did not call for a tax on greenhouse gases produced by farming.

Lowering the VAT rate on energy-efficient goods and services should be considered, it added.

“We also recommend that specific arrangements be put in place to ensure that those who experience fuel poverty will be fully protected from the impacts in terms of price rises,” it said.

The Labour Party spokeswoman on environment and climate change Joanna Tuffy said carbon tax should only be introduced “on the basis that they are fair and that they are genuinely aimed at changing our behaviour as users of energy.”

She said she would be “very concerned, despite claims that this tax will be revenue neutral, that these taxes will turn out to be merely revenue-raising”. Ms Tuffy said extra public transport should be provided from the time the tax is introduced to avoid hardship for people living in rural areas.

Seattle Votes Down Fee on Bags

To much of our disappointment, Seattle has voted against a bag fee. Please see below, a short article from the New York Times on the subject:

By WILLIAM YARDLEY

Published: August 19, 2009

SEATTLE — A proposed 20-cent fee on plastic and paper bags at many retail stores in this city was headed for defeat in a voter referendum here late Tuesday.

The proposal, which was intended to reduce pollution by encouraging reusable bags, was rejected as the debate over shopping bags has become prominent in several cities and states.

“Why are we going to lose it?” Rob Gala, a city council staff member and a volunteer spokesman for those in support of the fee, said as initial returns showed the proposal failing by a wide margin. “We’re going to lose it because more people are concerned about their cost of living than what they take their groceries home in.”

“We see this is a disappointing setback,” Mr. Gala said, “but by no means the end of the larger effort to clean up consumer choices.”

The Tuesday vote, conducted by mail, came a year after the city council here approved a 20-cent fee. The council measure had been slated to become law but a petition drive, financed largely by the plastic bag industry, forced the issue onto the ballot. The industry spent $1.4 million in an advertising campaign in the weeks before the vote.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/us/19seattle.html?_r=1

Cool Packaging

We found an awesome slideshow on treehugger.com and had to share some of these cool packaging concepts with you:

Designer Tom Ballhatchet’s TV packaging stand

David Graas’ cardboard furniture/flat packaging

Steve Haslip’s HangerPak

*click pictures to enlarge view*