From Earth911.com:

“The machine uses one kWh of energy to convert two pounds of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) or polystyrene (PS) plastic into one quart of oil. The oil can then be used in a power generator or can be further refined with a second machine into gasoline.”

The machine, which is being sold by Blest Corporation, is currently going for $10,000, so it likely won’t become the next must-have household item. Despite its price, and, therefore, it’s relative impracticality, it does provide an interesting way in which to “recycle” long-lasting plastic bags.

[Via: Earth911.com, Physorg.com]

[Photo Via: Physorg.com]

Bag monsters or no, it will soon be illegal to hand out plastic bags in American Samoa. Governor Togiola Tulafono signed legislation last week that approved a ban that will take effect on February 23, 2011.

Non-petroleum based biodegradable plastic and compostable bags are exempt from the ban. Tulafono commented that the removal of plastic bags will help maintain the beauty of American Samoa and the health of its sea creatures.

[Via: MSNBC]

[Photo via: Ars Electronica]

What’s awesome about being proactive is that you often get even more beneficial results than you could have hoped for. Example–You buy an Eco Travel bag thinking you’ll just use it in place of plastic bags at the grocery store. Then you realize you can use it as a bag for your workout clothes, or your books or your lunch… or anything else you would ever need to use a bag for. Grand Trunk’s bag can pack 50 pounds without any trouble, and weighs just one ounce itself. That said, it’s so damn light you can fold it down, stuff it in its stuff sack, and clip it to your keychain so it’s always there, ready to be stuffed with whatever you throw its way. And the best part? This bag is only a $12 dollar investment, and it’s built to last… just not as long as plastic bags are.

Meet Windy. A plastic bag who recently celebrated her second birthday with a large, white, fancy cake complete with a frosting photo of herself in her home; a tree on the Lehigh University campus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. OK, maybe Windy didn’t exactly celebrate her birthday as much as Kathy Frederick, who works on the University campus, did.

Frederick “met” Windy about two years and three months ago, when, after a “particularly wicked winter storm,” she noticed Windy stuck in a tree branch just outside her window. “I thought, oh, that bag is going to be there forever now,” Frederick said. “I could tell right away that it was stuck enough that another wind was not going to come blow it out.” Now, Frederick has become somewhat enamored with the plastic bag in the tree, who, she claims, is absolutely not gender-neutral–Windy is definitely a female.

Frederick’s obsession with Windy has led to a regularly-updated section on her blog, The Junk Drawer, where she details stories about Windy and her status in the tree. “The fans are crazy about this lone bag,” she said.  ”It’s really caught everybody’s fancy, for some reason.”

As cool as Windy may be, Frederick also acknowledges that Windy’s two-year-plus status in the tree top is reflective of the fact that plastic bags really do last a long, long time. In an interview she did with NPR yesterday, Frederick also recognized that Windy’s “aging” over the past two years (going from a bulbous-when-wind-blown bag to a slightly “ragged” version of her old self) means all of the small pieces of plastic she’s lost from her body have gone somewhere… but haven’t decomposed one bit.

Despite the fun and what some might call hilarity of Windy, she ultimately represents the sad nature of plastic bags–they stay put, and, although they show signs of structure loss (see Frederick’s YouTube video below), they simply don’t degrade over the years. So for now, Windy will continue to be herself, up in her tree, waving in the wind and never letting go of her branch. But maybe, she can also be the voice for plastic bags around the world–telling people that it’s time to find an alternative bag that doesn’t (unlike Windy) have the  capacity to stay slung in a tree for years and years.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Image via Flickr: eflon

It has been just over a month since Washington DC began implementing their plastic bag tax, and Oregon may soon be doing something similar.

On Monday, Senator Mark Hass D-Beaverton introduced Senate Bill 1009 to the floor, which would outlaw single-use plastic bags at checkout. While the bill has been called a long shot for this session, Hass hopes that it will lead to a victory for environmentalists throughout the state. According to the Oregonian, Hass said:

“I don’t think people understand the true cost of these bags.”

He went on to add that single-use plastic bags are rarely recycled, contribute to litter, are harmful to marine life and are made from fossil fuels.

Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney is open to the idea. In a news release, he noted:

“If Sen. Hass and industry representatives can find a path together then the door is open for this measure to move ahead.”

But not everyone is keen on the idea. Ironically enough, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is concerned about the impact of producing more paper bags. They suggest that paper bags result in greater nonrenewable energy and water consumption, as well as emissions and acid rain.

[Via: Oregonian]

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Image via Flickr: frankservayge

Not everyone has the opportunity to track the Atlantic Garbage Patch like Wend Magazine Editor-in-Chief and Surfrider Foundation Ambassador Stiv Wilson, but some, like London Mayor Boris Johnson, are attempting to do something about the world’s addiction to single-use plastic bags.

While he may not be paving the roads with plastic, Johnson proposed plans yesterday to make London plastic bag free by the 2012 Olympics. According to UPI:

“‘If all U.K. shoppers cut out just one in five bags, it would save about 40,000 tons of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gases a year — equivalent to taking over 12,500 cars off the road for a year,’ Johnson said.”

The proposal comes after Washington DC began taxing customers for using plastic bags at the grocery checkout.

[Via: UPI]

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Photo: Science Museum

It has been over a hundred years since Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite–the first entirely man-made material–in 1907. The invention changed the world, introducing plastic to day-to-day life. Once praised for its durability, it has become clear that plastic can have severe environmental consequences, particularly when it comes to single-use bags and bottles.

The Science Museum in London is taking a moment to look back over the last century to see where plastics have taken us. There are  four sections of the “Plasticity – 100 Year of Making Plastics” exhibition (The Birth of Plastics, Plastic Dreams, Plastic Now, and Plastic Futures), and there are some really interesting creations on display. Among them are the plastic chandelier made from Bic pens, a plastic coffin, a mold for tupperware containers, model airplanes,  the plastic Futuro House, and the Toyota i-Unit concept car.

[Via: TreeHugger]

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Residents in Washington DC will now have to pay a little bit more if they decide to use plastic bags at the grocery check-out. A new tax of five cents has been placed on each plastic bag in order for consumers to contribute to the clean-up cost. Mayor Adrien Fenty said in a statement last month,

“We want everyone to know that you can save the river, and five cents, if you bring your own reusable bag to the store instead.”

While it’s arguably a good stepping stone, I wonder if an outright ban wouldn’t be better.

[Via: AFP]

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The Kaua‘i County Council decided on Wednesday to ban single-use plastic bags from local businesses on the island. Despite objections from the business community, the County Council voted 4-2 in favor of the ban, which will go into effect January 11, 2011 — the same day a similar ban will take effect on Maui.

“I feel very pleased that Kaua‘i has made a statement in support of the environment,” said Councilman Tim Bynum.

What are you doing to get plastic bags banned in your area?

Thanks to our fellow Greenery blogger Jim Moriarty for the tip via Twitter!

[Photo: Mr. Thomas, Flickr]

Hopefully you are diligent about bringing your reusable bag wherever you go, but sometimes even the most environmentally conscious can be forgetful. So instead of feeling guilty because you were forced to get a plastic bag on your recent grocery shopping tour, here are five ways to turn that single-use bag into something more permanent and useful so that it doesn’t end up in a nightmare pile like the one above.

Messenger Bag

A rise in bike culture has made messenger bags an hot item, but you don’t have to go spend big bucks to get your own. Bust out an iron and DIY… this video will show you how.

Shoes

Ok, so you probably have to be a bit skilled in the art of design to make these shoes, but the idea is cool. These boots are made by Chilean industrial design student Camila Labra. You can check out more of them at the Botas Dacca blog.

Furniture

The furniture world is quickly jumping on the trend of recycled and upcycled designs. Incorporating plastic bags into Ryan Frank’s Inkuku (Zulu for chicken) chair was inspired by a South African chicken ornament. Cool looking and most likely, pretty soft and comfortable to sit in.

Flowers

What’s more romantic than giving your eco-sweetie a bouquet of recycled flowers? Seriously, you can construct a whole variety of flowers out of colored plastic bags. It does require a bit of time investment, but it will probably get you some serious cool points… and the flowers won’t wilt. Learn how here.

Clothes

If you know how to crochet with used plastic bags, then you can make pretty much anything, including fancy fashions. Artist Cathy Kasdan has some amazing photos of dresses she made using all plastic bags on her Flickr site — the collection is quite impressive.

Add another city to the list of those that have understood the severe negative effects of single-use plastic bags. Last Wednesday, Mexico City banned businesses from distributing plastic bags that are not biodegradable. The ban affects all stores, production facilities and service providers within the Federal District, which encompasses the city limits. Nearly 9 million people live inside the district, which makes it second large metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere to outlaw single-use plastic bags.

The ban is good news for officials that are calling for a global ban on plastic bags, as well as other cities around the world that are attempting to implement similar policies.

Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, says plastic bags are the second-most-common form of litter, behind cigarette butts. The bags are the greatest form of litter on the globe’s oceans, the U.N. agency said in a recent report.

The bags are also a major threat to ocean wildlife, causing the deaths of 100,000 sea turtles and other marine animals that mistake them for food.

“Thin-film, single-use plastic bags, which choke marine life, should be banned or phased out rapidly everywhere,” Steiner said in June. “There is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere.”

Read more at CNN.

[Photo: DoctorWho, Flickr]

This is a very cool video on how to make a messenger bag out of fusing old plastic bags together.

Big steps in Portland yesterday, when members of the Portland Chapter of Surfrider Foundation and Leave No Plastic Behind requested the Portland City Council to pass a ban on single-use plastic bags in Portland.

From Surfrider:

Both organizations are members of Portland’s ‘Ban the Bag’ coalition which is seeking to reduce consumption of single use plastic bags in Portland to prevent waste, encourage use of reusable bags, and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

During testimony to the City Council, the Surfrider Foundation presented a letter signed by 43 local businesses, environmental groups, and neighborhood associations in support of such a policy (enclosure).

Surfrider Foundation and Leave No Plastic Behind also presented the City Council with over 2,700 petition signatures in support of a plastic bag ban or fee, collected by volunteers throughout the city.

“Banning single-use plastic bags is an important step toward sustainability for the City of Portland”, said Pete Stauffer of the Surfrider Foundation. “Using a product that last hundreds of thousands of years for a single use makes no sense; especially when reusable bags can provide the same function and save both consumers and businesses money.”

Portland Mayor Sam Adams was among those who expressed support. “I applaud what Surfrider is doing nationwide to bring attention to this issue. Single-use bags represent an important opportunity to rethink our consumption patterns. People look to Portland as a leader in sustainability, and I think it’s time to take the helm and reduce unnecessary waste in disposables and excessive packaging.”

The consumption of single-use plastic bags has a major impact on the environment. Around 100 billion petroleum-based plastic checkout bags are used each year in the United States, requiring an estimated 12 million barrels of oil each year. Sadly, less than 5% of these bags are recycled each year and cities, counties, and non-profit organizations must pay millions of dollars each year to clean up the litter.

Further, it is estimated that 60-80% of all debris in the ocean is plastic. Plastics take hundreds of years to break down at sea, and most types never truly biodegrade. As a result, marine animals often get entangled in the debris or mistake it for food.

For the past two years, the Surfrider Foundation and Leave No Plastic Behind have been working to raise community awareness about the impacts of plastics on the environment and encouraging people to switch to reusable bags.

Their volunteer driven efforts have included sponsoring outreach events, beach cleanups, art shows, school assemblies, water festivals, neighborhood association presentations, and distributing over 3,000 free reusable bags in Oregon through school programs and community outreach.

In addition, both Surfrider Foundation and Leave No Plastic Behind are participating in the Mayor’s Reusable Bag Outreach, Education, and Distribution Task Force, which includes members of local nonprofits, government, businesses, and community partners. The campaign is working to reduce single use bag waste through a broad public outreach and education campaign with the mass distribution of a durable, usable grocery tote bag.

Surfrider Foundation is also participating in the West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean Health through implementing priorities of the Marine Debris Action Team. These regional efforts help build consistency between Surfrider’s local outreach and advocacy efforts and the shared ocean policy agenda of the Governors of Washington, Oregon and California.

From Worldwatch Institute:

A strict Chinese limit on ultra-thin plastic bags significantly reduced bag-related pollution nationwide during the past year. The country avoided the use of 40 billion bags, according to government estimates.

Plastic bags are commonly found in waterways, on beaches, and in other “unofficial” dumping sites across China. Litter caused by the notorious bags has been referred to as “white pollution.”

The State Council, China’s parliament, responded in January 2008 by prohibiting shops, supermarkets, and sales outlets from providing free plastic bags that are less than 0.025 millimeters thick.

The State Administration of Industry and Commerce also threatened to fine shopkeepers and vendors as much as 10,000 yuan (US$1,465) if they were caught distributing free bags.

In its first review of the ban, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced earlier this month that supermarkets reduced plastic bag usage by 66 percent since the policy became effective last June. The limit in bag production saved China 1.6 million tons of petroleum, the NDRC estimated.

Read the full article here.

In light of the United Nations Environment Programme’s latest report on marine litter, UNEP’s Executive Director Achim Steiner is advocating for a global ban on single-use plastics.

“Single use plastic bags which choke marine life, should be banned or phased out rapidly everywhere. There is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere,” said Steiner.

The Marine Litter: A Global Challenge report highlights the widespread problem of marine litter and pollution, of which plastic is a significant concern. According to the report, “Plastics can be mistaken as food by numerous animals, including birds, fish, turtles, marine mammals, and marine vertebrates. Given the high capacity of the plastics to absorb phenanthrene, plastics may be an important vehicle for transporting contaminants to organisms.” Because plastics are a medium for pollutants to get into other food webs, those contaminants could be making their way onto our dinner plate, affecting not only the environment, but human health as well.

More here and here.

[Photo: Zainub, Flickr]

The list of cities and countries working to ban the single-use plastic bag just keeps getting longer and longer. With an estimated 480 million plastic bags used per year in Wales, the country is the latest place to join the ranks of others who are committed to eliminating an item that most of us only use once and can take between 500 to 1,000 years to degrade.

From the BBC:

Environment Minister Jane Davidson said people were more aware than ever of the issue, but she said: “We simply cannot go on like this.”

Keep Wales Tidy welcomed the Get Carried Away bilingual campaign.

In February, the Welsh Assembly Government became the first administration in the UK to start work on legislation to end the use of free single use plastic bags.

The assembly government supports the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) efforts to reduce the numbers of these bag, but says it wants Wales to go a step further.

Ms Davidson said: “As a minister I have always stated that I do not support the use of one-trip plastic bags.

“I have asked my department to develop legislation to end the use of single use carrier bags.”

The campaign is being called “Get Carried Away” and the first 1,000 people that register with the campaign’s website will receive a reusable bag, an excellent motivator. Good work Wales. What’s your city doing to end the dependence on single-use plastics?