Plastic Bags - Let's do something about them or with them!
A big problem...a small solution...
Ah...the plastic bag. While they are found everywhere these days, there was a time when they were more difficult to find. Today they're found in the streets, tree branches and streams - in every corner of this planet.
Are Plastic Grocery Bags Sacking the Environment?
John Roach for National Geographic
The "paper or plastic" conundrum that vexed earnest shoppers throughout the 1980s and 90s is largely moot today. Most grocery store baggers don't bother to ask anymore. They drop the bananas in one plastic bag as they reach for another to hold the six-pack of soda. The pasta sauce and noodles will get one too, as will the dish soap.
Plastic bags are so cheap to produce, sturdy, plentiful, easy to carry and store that they have captured at least 80 percent of the grocery and convenience store market since they were introduced a quarter century ago, according to the Arlington, Virginia-based American Plastics Council.
As a result, the totes are everywhere. They sit balled up and stuffed into the one that hangs from the pantry door. They line bathroom trash bins. They carry clothes to the gym. They clutter landfills. They flap from trees. They float in the breeze. They clog roadside drains. They drift on the high seas. They fill sea turtle bellies. Read the entire article on National Geographic
Tutorials...How To's...DIY - Isn't that what you want? Go ahead...make one!
- Crochet with Plastic Bags on Craft Central Station
- needlepointers contains a list of excellent links to all kinds of crochet with plastic bags. Tutorials on how to prepare the "yarn", hat, purses, rugs, granny squares, etc.
- Crocheting Plastic Grocery Bags into Tote Bags by Amelie Redman, Bethel, AK from Solid Solutions. To get a copy of Solid Solutions contact the EPA Tribal Program, 271-6323
- Top 7 Links For Crocheting With "Yarn" Made From Plastic Bags on about.com
- Instructions for Plastic Bag Crochet Tote on Marlo's Crochet Corner
Think you have no use for those bags? - Check these books out...
Recycled Crochet Bags Video Clips
Some TV show clips and how-to's
What some countries are doing
Germany - consumers use their own bag or pay a tax at the store for a plastic bag.
Brazil - Initiatives are local: the government of the state of Parana' imposed a deadline (11/18/2007) for grocery stores to come up with alternatives to circumvent the problems. Some stores adopted recycling programs, some are utilizing oxi-degradable plastic (degrades in 18 months) and some are selling reusable bags. The state of Sao Paulo launched an awareness campaign. The Federal government is pushing for garbage recycling, which already happens in numerous communities. Brazilians are very resourceful when it comes to recycling.
USA - Each year, the country uses one hundred billion plastic bags. In San Francisco (California), they were replaced by recycled paper bags. Some manufacturers are using corn and potato starch as a raw material. Reusable shopping bags are all the rage.
The grocery store I go to, Kroger, has a Bag-2-Bag program: You take the bags back to their recycle bin and they make them into new bags.
Bangladesh - Because they clog rainwater drainage networks, the plastic bag was banned. The measure includes the manufacture, marketing and use.
Ireland - The government has imposed a specific tax to inhibit use. The measure caused a 90% reduction in use. The money raised is for actions of environmental protection.
Taiwan - Stores are prohibited from offering free bags to the customer, patrons; they face fines.
South Africa - Government banned the use and drafted penalties of fine and imprisonment.
India - To prevent the ingestion of the bags, and death, by cows (sacred animal), some states banned their production, storage, use, sale and distribution. Penalties for infringement are imprisonment and a fine.
Australia- Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts is supporting Clean Up Australia, a national plastic bag awareness campaign Bag Yourself a Better Environment. Retailers and the community are being asked to reduce the use of plastic shopping bags, increase plastic bag recycling, and reduce the amount of plastic bag litter.
Out of Print...Bummer! But it might show in the "used book" listings.
Other sites to visit
Visit my etsy shop to see crochet item using recycled pull tabs (pop tops) from soda and beer cans for purchase.
Visit my other squidoo lens on Pull Tab Crochet with links to wonderful recycled wearable items and how-to's
Related
Do you know of something your community is doing? Do you like this lens? - Let us all know...
My mother used to knit hats from plastic bags and I tried it but found it tedious. I used to be a prolific knitter, but I think crocheting would be far easier. I like the idea of making them into reusable shopping bags. I would never just throw them away.
Great idea to recycle plastic bags! I've always thought the bags could be made into blankets for the homeless but I'm not sure how warm plastic bag blankets would be?
Great idea to crochet shopping bags. Cool, thanks :)
I'd like to see teachers collect from their student's families, then send them somewhere to be reused. The only thing I do at the moment is use them for small trash bags. Not the greatest, but it saves me from buying them and creating double. I always get clerks to use as little amount of bags as possible. That is, if I can carry it easily or take it without a bag, I do that. These bags can sometimes pile up rapidly.
@AliciaAnn89: I forgot to include the link: https://hubpages.com/art/new-uses-for-old-magazine
I really loved your lens! The books you included in the Amazon widget are all so interesting. I added your lens to my lensroll on my reusing old magazines lens, hope you don't mind!
Great lens! I've lensrolled it to my lens https://hubpages.com/politics/jennybeangoesgreen which is also all about those troublesome plastic bags. I have a shop on etsy as well where I sell crocheted reusable tote bags from plastic bags. Oh I like your pop top creations! I made chairs out of pop tabs!
- AUTHOR
@EricOlsen: Thanks!!!!
Great lens about recycling! I linked to it in my lens about littering: [url=http://www.squidoo.com/whydoyoulitter]Why Do You Litter? [/url]. It is a perfect match! Great job PopTopLady
Plastic bags is a global problem.
Interesting lens you have here! Keep it up!
Fascinating lens! Thanks for informing and helping with this problem!
Matthew
Thank you for sharing these great recycled crafts ideas.
Driving down the road in just about every state in the country plastic bags are seen sticking to fences everywhere where the wind has deposited them. We do need to find some solutions to these bags.
Great lens. I've made water bottle carriers made from plastic bags (plarn) that I've made with a knitting loom. I'd love to make some Japanese Zori sandals with plastic bags someday too.
I LOVE the bags and shoes! I've never seen shoes made out of plastic bags before. Great lens!
Minnie
Blessed by a SquidAngel today!
www.squidoo.com/squid-angel
hautetrash.org A non-profit volunteer group that puts on runway fashion shows where all the garments are made from trash materials. The knitted white plastic grocery bag wedding dress is my contribution.
perhaps plastics are one of the great discoveries for the convenience it gives up but sadly it is also one of the greatest pollutants of our our planet. we can't deny the usability of plastics but we should also be aware of its effects on our environmetnt that we should be responsible users.
This is the year and now is the time to learn more about crochet than making a square. Those shoes are awesome.
People are really putting their old plastic bags to some good uses! It's great to see other countries taking the initiative as well. Great work!
Oh ya, some of my pet peeves are these plastic bags, the unnecessary and overpacking of food products and plastic bottled water. I faithfully use my cloth grocery bags and use those for other shopping as well, I don't buy bottled water and try to purchase veggies and fruit that is loose and not packaged. Excellent Lens! - Kathy
Claudia? I would like to ask you to add this lens to Reuse it all! group!
Love the lens! Thanks for sharing some interesting facts with us. I'll say it too, OMG...Shoes!!! I'm gonna have to learn that crochet thingy...lol.
Thank you so much for this lens! I always save my plastic bags to reuse them, but I never knew that I could make things from them!
I really enjoyed reading about how plastic bags are dealt with around the world. Way to go for South Africa. It just proves that even leaders can sacrifice convenience for the Earth's sake when they need to.
Well, well, well... good that I looked. This topic is already taken! :) And you did great job with it! Gonna lensroll it to 4 of my lenses - 'Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things', ' How to Reuse Paper Rolls', 'How to Reuse Paper Bags' and 'How to Reuse Egg Carton'!
Well, I have a dog, so you can guess what I do with mine... :P
Those crochet bags look very cool though!
Very informative lens. Recycling plastic bags never sounded so fun- great way to reduce the load in our landfills.
Check out The Green Maniacs lens for more GREEN tipswww.greeningpetsandpeople
Fantastic! I've added a small section to my crochet lens about using plastic bags. Maybe you could offer more suggestions?
www.squidoo.com/dmskycrochet
5 stars, Favored and joined your Fan Club!
Lemmings like to recycle. Check out their milk carton igloo! They think that your bags would be great as Take Home Literacy Bags.
Because you have done such a great job on this lens the lemmings are sending you a virtual Cup of Coffee to hang on your wall.
Love this page...it's so informative and well put together. I love to recycle and create tshirt bags for friends and family and buyers as well. Thanks for such a great squido page!
Awesome lens! If every country only know how to use this method of recycling plastic bags, it would be much helpful to the Mother Nature. I really learned a lot. Definitely, a fabulous five!!
This is great! I've just "favorited" you! Am going to check out your ideas and links. I'd like to add your lens to my list of "Other Great Lenses" but am not sure how to do that as I've only got one lens, so far. Hopefully, it'll just automatically show up there! Keep up the good work...
fab lens, love the ideas and fully support your recycling plans.
I've also written a lens on recycling, come on over and let me know what you think!
nicola @ pouch
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