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“Reusable Bags, now there’s an idea that won’t catch on”, might have been the thinking a few years ago or so. Yet now the world is in economic and environmental meltdown, most major stores are now offering reusable shopping bags to their customers. As the environmental issues have gained momentum and the problem of huge waste resulting from millions ( UK consumers in the year 2000 used more than 17 million plastic carrier bags ) of plastic bags that are not biodegradable and harmful to the planet, being given away with almost every purchase and then simply discarded, the need for change was inevitable. What are the benefits of having a reusable bag? Well there are many but for example if the bag is a printed cotton bag, then they can be sturdier than your common plastic bag, with less worry about it breaking when carrying something heavier. Then there are the huge commercial benefits with company branding designs placed conveniently on the bag wherever the retailer desires and you have yourself some of the most affordable advertising available. Billboard and sign advertising is very costly and often businesses can’t afford to pay for that level of exposure. If then businesses either give their new reusable grocery bags away with purchases or charge a small fee for them, the benefits are obvious. Lots of happy shoppers walking up and down the town centre with your logo emblazoned all over their bags, reaching places billboards can never reach. This evidence alone should convince environmentally minded retailers and consumers that the transfer to reusable bags is both a healthy one and a potentially profitable one, as apparently the production and cost of these reusable bags is very economical. In July 2005 the Scottish Parliament introduced a bill calling for the levy on plastic bags. The environmental committee of the Scottish Parliament said, “In practice, the Bill would require all retailers to charge customers 10p for every plastic bag they were supplied with. The Bill aims to protect the environment by reducing the number of plastic bags in circulation, raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage consumers to use alternatives.” In the long term reusable bags will cost less per bag than the proposals planned for in store plastic bags. Common sense tells us that this can surely be the only way forward with regards to this issue and there are numerous websites that specialise in printing and producing these reusable bags, many of them offering a huge selection of styles, colours and designs.

You may have noticed that beginning around April 2007 there was a wave of activity with reusable shopping bags. Mostly this was directed towards encouraging people to start using reusable grocery bags. That is where the average person consumes the most paper or plastic shopping bags. Why all of the sudden media buzz? Is it marketing hype, reactionary environmentalism or a meaningful campaign? And, assuming you find the premise for using them to be sound, we will provide a brief reusable bags shopping guide to help you make a wise purchase.

Is It All Just Hype?

The statistics related to the consumption of plastic and paper shopping bags are nothing short of terribly alarming. Here are just a few: Americans consume 100 billion plastic shopping bags every year. Over 500 billion are consumed worldwide and about 4 billion become general litter. It’s imperitive that we make a move to reusable shopping bags. Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water.

Based upon our own calculations (all types of shopping without using reusable bags) it is likely that you use more than 2,000 paper and plastic shopping bags a year for each member of your family. Consider the volume of space that this might require if you had to put all of the disposable shopping bags you acquired into a closet. For a family of four, it wouldn’t take long to need a bigger storage room. The fact is that none of this material is required to make life better or more enjoyable. Quite the opposite, it all goes to a recycling station or simply to a landfill where ultimately someone, our children or theirs at the latest, will find the consequences very disturbing.

It has become a common misconception that simply “recycling” our garbage is a sufficient response to the negative environmental impact we are having on our planet. It is much more important to eliminate things that we don’t need first! Avoiding needless waste is far better than recycling though recycling is obviously much better than indiscriminate dumping. The buzz about reusable shopping bags is definitely a worthwhile campaign to reduce needless waste. It is a simple change of habit where everyone can have a meaningful impact … one small needless shopping bag at a time.  The reusable shopping bags buzz is definitely a significant and reasonable undertaking. The production and disposal of plastic and paper bags touches upon all facets of what we are doing wrong. The raw materials, be they pulpwood or petroleum, are better reserved for other uses. The production of disposable bags creates unnecessary pollution and wastes additional energy resources. And what we have at the end of these short life cycle commodities is a great big pile of waste that needs to be dealt with.

Reusable shopping bags cannot eliminate all of the waste and energy consumption but they are vastly more efficient.

The sudden flurry of promotion for reusable bags is very simple. On one hand, there are realities being dealt with as land fills are simply filling up too fast. Many municipalities in the USA and abroad are grappling with possible legislation to ban plastic shopping bags. On the other hand, corporate public relations and marketing folks have obviously decided to get on the “right” side of this issue before being compelled or penalized.

Reusable bags are saving the world and making sure the earth is a clean and safe place for generations to c0me. It’s essential to make sure that we make these products a part of our everyday lives. They have so many benefits that there is no argument against using them. They have an important role in the personal lives of people when they go shopping. Aside from people using them at home, companies across the globe are using them to advertise. All of their uses are endless so let’s make sure we are using green bags in order to save the planet.

The next time you go shopping at either your nearest grocery store or shopping mall, there are things you need to remember to do. The first is to bring along all of your reusable grocery bags or your reusable shopping bags. This is very important and it will make a big difference in your life and the lives of others. Second, you have to remember to actually use the reusable bags that you bring along. By using these products, you will immediately be reducing the waste that the environment has to deal with on a daily basis. This waste is increasing litter, causing pollution. All of this leads to global warming as well as the contamination of the oceans and lakes around us. Lastly, it’s important you remember the benefits that you are getting from using your eco friendly bags. You will be doing something great for the environment, great for your family, and possibly saving money because many stores now offer discounts when you use your green bags.  Now that we all understand the benefits of these outstanding products and how important using them really is, the world will hopefully be a cleaner and a safer place to live.

Reusable bags are going to determine what type of future we have as a society and the condition the world is going to be in over the next hundreds of years. The world needs the use of these products because of the positive impact that they have on the planet. It’s essential that companies across the globe make sure they are using products such as reusable grocery bags as a big part of their everyday lives. It’s never been so easy to do something that is great for the environment. Eco friendly bags are affordable, easy to carry, and great for advertising. Do something good for the earth today and you will notice a big difference tomorrow.

By McClatchy-Tribune News Service

October 22, 2009, 9:37PM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it will not be removing free plastic bags from two of its locations in California until at least January.

Signs in their stores in the California cities of Folsom and Citrus Heights had announced that shoppers would soon have to either bring their own reusable bags or buy reusable grocery bags — for 15 cents.

The two stores, along with a third in Ukiah, Calif., make up a small test program. Going plastic-bag-free is one of a variety of strategies being tried at stores around the world as Wal-Mart evaluates ways to meet its goal of cutting plastic bag waste 33 percent by 2013.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Amelia Neufeld said the company decided that launching the reusable bags -only program just before the holiday shopping season would skew the test results.

“The goal of this test is to gauge customer reaction. We think we’ll get a more accurate reaction by offering these reusable grocery bags after the holidays,” she said.

Neufeld would not comment on whether recent customer reactions had driven the decision to postpone the test.

At the Folsom store earlier this week, customers interviewed by McClatchy Newspapers were roughly split on the plan.

Matthew Oliver, a Folsom resident who complained in writing at his local store after learning of the plan, said a Wal-Mart representative called him Wednesday to say the Sunday launch of the test program had been called off.

Oliver said he resented the reusable bags program because he felt it was a cost-cutting measure with a green veneer that deprived him of the right to choose how he’d like to carry his purchases.

“I just want to buy my milk from you,” he said. “I don’t want you to tell me what my political views ought to be.”

Wal-Mart is also evaluating other strategies for reducing plastic waste that don’t involve removing free plastic bags from stores altogether. It is retraining some checkers to put more items in each sack, for instance, and is considering switching to thinner bags that contain less plastic.

The company’s 15-cent reusable bags will continue to be offered at the checkout counters, Neufeld said. They are royal blue and made of a lightweight, recyclable polypropylene fabric

It’s easy to see why eco friendly bags are becoming so increasingly popular with companies as well as at home. Companies want them for tradeshows and giveaways. Families want them to bring along to the market to take their groceries home. Their uses are plentiful, their affordability is great, and their look is stylish. Reusable bags are the new “it” item in terms of promotions for companies and convenience for families. They are great at marketing a company’s brand and logo which is why they are so great for any marketing campaign. Their high quality and convenience to use is why moms and families are taking them with them to the market, the library, and just about anywhere else their day takes them. Reusable grocery bags just have a habit of finding their way into homes everywhere. Another great thing about them is the fact that they can be used over and over again making them great for the environment. Don’t wait a second longer. It’s time to go purchase your very own reusable shopping bags. It’s as easy as 1-2-3. Give Custom Green Promos a call today and your company will be going in the right direction with your logo on the side of our great and affordable green bags.

There are many types of reusable bags in the world today and each one has many uses and purposes to them. It is our responsibility as a supplier to educate companies and consumers on the types of green bags and the many uses that they provide. Reusable grocery bags are an amazing product to use when you go the grocery store. The use of them reduces waste, litter, pollution, and ultimately provides us with a safe and cleaner place to live. Reusable shopping bags can be taken with you to the shopping mall or any retail outlet to help carry the products you buy. They are also great for the environment and reduce waste. Eco friendly bags are an all around great idea. Aside from taking them to the supermarket or shopping, you can also use them as a great giveaway for your company. They make for an exceptional marketing vehicle and allow you to market your companies brand or logo effectively. It’s important for everyone to be educated on the many uses of these products and hopefully this little bit of information will go a long way in the decisions you make regarding the environment, they way you shop, the way your market your company’s products, and more.

Eco friendly shopping bags are a sure fire way to efficiently promote your company brand or logo. It’s time for you to be a part of the movement and the solution to the problems the world is facing. The opportunity is here now to make a small change in order to have a big effect. Reusable bags give us the chance to take part in something that is very important to the safety of the planet. Custom Green Promos wants everyone to take advantage of the fact that eco friendly bags are so affordable, practical, and effective in achieving the goals we have set out for ourselves. Don’t let your next marketing campaign feature the same old ineffective advertising product. Take it up a notch this year with these outstanding reusable bags. Call them now for your free samples and see for yourself how great of a product they produce. They are very high quality and stylish reusable bags. Make sure your next marketing promotion sends the message you are looking for. You want your customers to realize that your company cares about the environment and the safety of the planet. You can be certain that you will be sending the right message with one of these products. You can hand them out at your next tradeshow, conference, or seminar. You will be certain that your brand or logo will be gaining the exposure that you need for your company.

 Green bags can have such a positive effect on society because of the great things they do for the environment. The negative results of plastic bags and the pollution they cause contribute to global warming, which over time, can have such a negative effect on the environment similar to oil spills, although on less of an immediate time scale. Oil spills often result in both immediate and long-term environmental damage. Some of the environmental damage caused by an oil spill can last for decades after the spill occurs. Oil spilled by damaged tankers, pipelines or offshore oil rigs coats everything it touches and becomes an unwelcome but long-term part of every ecosystem it enters. When an oil slick from a large oil spill reaches the beach, the oil coats and clings to every rock and grain of sand. If the oil washes into coastal marshes, mangrove forests or other wetlands, fibrous plants and grasses absorb the oil, which can damage the plants and make the whole area unsuitable as wildlife habitat. When some of the oil eventually stops floating on the surface of the water and begins to sink into the marine environment, it can have the same kind of damaging effects on fragile underwater ecosystems, killing or contaminating many fish and smaller organisms that are essential links in the global food chain. Despite massive clean-up efforts following the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in 1989, for example, a 2007 study conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that 26, 000 gallons of oil from the Exxon Valdez oil spill was still trapped in the sand along the Alaska shoreline. Scientists involved in the study determined that this residual oil was declining at a rate of less than 4 percent annually. In comparison to the damage oil spills cause, litter and pollution can have negative effects on the environment through the manufacturing process of plastic bags and the gas emissions from this production. The solution would be reusable bags because they are manufactured differently and green bags are reusable so they are not disposed of. Although an oil spill has a much quicker and negative impact on the environment and the ecosystem, plastic bags can have a similar negative effect over time. This is why the use of eco friendly bags is so important to society.  It’s time to start using reusable grocery bags and reusable shopping bags everywhere we go.