They are finally here - SLP reusable shopping bags
SLP has partnered with the Muncie Young Professionals Group (MYPG) to provide Muncie residents with reusable shopping bags. This project was funded with generous support from the Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County.
How do I get one?
You can get your very own SLP reusable shopping bag a couple of different ways.
1. Become an SLP member. Memberships are only $15 for an individual membership,
$25 for a family. While you get one of our cool bags you also support a great
local cause.
2. Volunteer. Volunteer for a Muncie Young Professionals Group (MYPG) service
project. The bags are a project in partnership with MYPG, and by volunteering
for one of their service projects, such as a Habitat for Humanity Build,
or Feed My Sheep, you'll receive a bag, absolutely free!
3. Donate. Give $10 to SLP, and support a great local cause. Your donation
is fully tax-exempt to the extent allowable by law.
How did we come up with saving 5,320 lbs of waste per year?
Here's how. Please keep in mind that this is just an example.
1 plastic bag weighs approximately 0.0465 lbs (EPA estimate)
1 paper bag weighs approximately 0.465 lbs (EPA estimate)
Each household uses 6 plastic bags or 4 paper bags per week
70% of consumers in Muncie choose plastic bags, 30% choose paper
500 households receive 1 reusable bag each
1 reusable bag can replace 2 plastic or 1 paper bag each week
2 plastic bags x 52 weeks x 0.70 = 72.8 plastic bags per household
1 paper bag x 52 weeks x 0.30 = 15.6 paper bags per household
72.8 plastic bags x 500 households = 36,400
15.6 paper bags x 500 households = 7,800
36,400 plastic bags x 0.0465 lbs = 1,693 lbs
7,800 paper bags x 0.465 lbs = 3,627 lbs
Total weight of prevented waste: 5,320 lbs (2.66 tons) per year
Where can I find additional resources and information about reusable shopping bags?
To purchase additional bags, reusablebags.com has a wide variety of bags.
reusablebags.com also has some great news
items,
and a good facts section.
World Watch
Institute also has a good resource
page on plastic bags.
Facts and figures on plastic bags
Compiled from epa.gov, reusablebags.com, treehugger.com, worldwatch.org
• Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.
• According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.
• Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.
• Plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photodegrade - breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.
• Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in coastal cleanups, according to the nonprofit Center for Marine Conservation.
• Plastic bags start as crude oil, natural gas, or other petrochemical derivatives, which are transformed into chains of hydrogen and carbon molecules known as polymers or polymer resin. After being heated, shaped, and cooled, the plastic is ready to be flattened, sealed, punched, or printed on.
• The first plastic “baggies” for bread, sandwiches, fruits, and vegetables were introduced in the United States in 1957. Plastic trash bags started appearing in homes and along curbsides around the world by the late 1960s.
• North America and Western Europe account for nearly 80 percent of plastic bag use—though the bags are increasingly common in developing countries as well.
• A quarter of the plastic bags used in wealthy nations are now produced in Asia.
• Each year, Americans throw away some 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags. (Only 0.6 percent of plastic bags are recycled.)
What can I do with the plastic bags I already have?
Below are a few ideas for things to do with plastic bags you may already have.
Doggy duty bag. Put a couple in your pocket for walks, or tie around your dog's leash. Why buy special bags when you can reuse what you already have?
Make your own reusable shopping bags. If you are a crafty person, maybe all those bags you have been saving can be turned into one, sturdy reusable shopping bag? See the instructions here.
Make a set of fabulous knee pads for gardening. Just tie a couple around each knee to save your pants and knees from dirt and stress.
In the middle of a painting project? Use plastic bags to wrap your brushes overnight and save yourself the trouble of having the wash them out over and over again.
Keep a couple of plastic bags tucked under your bike seat. If it rains, simply pull one out to cover your seat to keep the rain out, or put one on before you take off to keep your pants and bottom dry.
Colored plastic bags make fabulous wrapping paper. Only your imagination will hold you back.
Keep a plastic bag in your purse or briefcase. Use as a makeshift wet umbrella cover, rain hat or a variety of other ways to keep dry things from getting wet.
Plastic bags are great fillers for the bottom of pots and planters. Instead of using the entire bag of expensive potting soil to lift your plants to the top of the planter, place a few crumpled up plastic bags in the bottom.
More great ideas can be found here.
In Muncie
If you put your plastic bags in a blue bag for recycling, bags are sent
to an incinerator for "waste to energy".
