The Whole Foods grocery chain plans to stop offering customers plastic grocery bags, and instead use only recycled paper or reusable bags.

A rising number of governments and retailers are banning plastic bags, or discouraging their use, due to concerns about their environmental impact.

Whole Foods had previously tried to get customers to buy reusable bags, but the concept did not catch on until they began offering them for 99 cents.

Whole Foods officials estimate that the store currently distributes 150 million plastic bags a year.

Plastic bags are typically thrown away after one use, do not break down easily in the environment, fill landfills, and float into trees, rooftops, roadways and oceans.

Sources:
New York Times January 23, 2008


Sobering Statistics on Our Use of Plastic

The statistics on our use of plastic bags world-wide are truly staggering. For example, did you know that:

Between 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide annually. That’s more than one million bags PER MINUTE!!

U.S. consumers use more than 380 billion plastic bags annually

Taiwan consumes about 20 billion bags a year, or 900 per person annually

Australians consume 6.9 billion plastic bags each year, or 326 per person

Ireland consumes about 1.2 billion plastic bags, or 316 per person

Of these billions of plastic bags:

Only 1 to 7 percent are recycled

It takes 1,000 years for polyethylene bags to break down
During that 1,000 years of photodegradation, toxic substances leach into the soil and enter the food chain
According to the BBC, windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that cottage industry groups are now harvesting about 30,000 bags each per month, which they use to weave bags and hats.

And, plastic bag litter can now be found as far north as Spitsbergen (78° North latitude), and as far south as the Falklands (51° South latitude).

Hello Habibi,

The no plastic movement seems to be catching on everywhere, even in the Philippines. I'd really like to see the day that plastics are used for better items than just grocery bags.

Cheers!

Gerel

PLASTIC BAGS ARE 100% RECYCLABLE!!!

Please be informed that:

Monofilm bags (such as sando bags, bulk packaging of fruits and vegetables, trash bags, plastic shopping bags, portioning bags, etc) are 100% recyclable. Plastic cups, bottles, containers are also recyclable.

Laminated bags (such as snack food packaging, instant food packaging, detergent wrappers etc) can also be recycled back to oil or other hard construction materials. Unfortunately, it is capital intensive to put up a recycling facility for these kind of packaging. However, some bags like juice packs (such as zesto doypacks or similar wrapper) are actually bought by a certain organization that turn it into fashionable bags. These bags are very famous abroad.

HELP SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT. REUSE. RECYCLE!
USE ONLY WHAT IS NECESSARY. SAVE ENERGY!
COLLECT, SEGREGATE AND TURN YOUR TRASH INTO CASH!!!

Please help us collect, reuse, segregate, and bring it to our local junkshops. Junkshops doesn't accept all kind of trash though. But they will accept bottles, newspapers, and the likes. For your plastic trash like bags, bottles, and cups (also computer ink cartridges, batteries, busted electronic equipment etc) please bring it to RECYCLING FAIRS.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
April 22, 2008 Tuesday..EARTH DAY
8am-3pm
Quezon City Elliptical Road park

TRASH IS CASH!!!
Reduce Waste
Re-use
Recycle and Segregate
Sell your trash....
Make it Cash!!!

Help EARTH be a better living place!!!

Want to know how much we will buy your trash???
Checkout this _link_ for the price list:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfv4qbpc_58gzkxqmc7

Please spread the word to your friends!
See you there!!!

Hey, everyone! =)


News Update: Earth Day recycle fair in QC Memorial last April 2008 didn't do very well. Few people participated. Please help me spread the word and let people know the stuff we consume and the packaging we dispose everyday should be collected, segregated, and recycled. Make extra money, sell your trash!


Below is the updated schedule of recycling fairs. You may use the materials (poster +trash price list) attached in this email for promotional references.

Thanks!!! Please forward this email to everyone in your contact list or include it in your blog. Will appreciate your support.

EACH ONE OF US CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE...if we want to.

----ANY (?) QUESTIONS --- PLEASE CALL CCW's JENIFER UY 0917-5348335/ 0922-4242-711

AYALA RECYCLABLES FAIR

MAY 2008 Schedule


May 2, Friday, (8am to 3pm)

- Paseo de Magallanes, Brgy. Magallanes, Makati City (beside Honda)


May 9, Friday, (8am to 3pm)

- Goldcrest Parking Lot, Glorietta, Makati City (behind restaurant row)

May 10, Saturday, (8am to 3pm)

- Bonifacio Global City, Taguig (behind NBC Tent)

May 16, Friday (8am to 3pm)

- Alabang Town Center parking lot, Muntinlupa City (in front of St. Jerome's Church)

May 23, Friday (8am to 3pm)

- Trinoma Open Carpark, Quezon City (North Ave. cor. EDSA)

I'm all for recycling. I think there are recycling fairs every 1st saturday of everymonth in SM supermalls. Just check out their schedules. If not, you can sell it directly to junkshops or to people going around subdivisions looking for reusable trash. People should segregate even their tin cans, pet bottles, plastic bags.

But how about old clothes? Where can I bring it for donation?