We don’t have to feel bad about loving our plastic grocery bags anymore!

For the past several years the Go Green movement has successfully – even if only somewhat successfully -  instilled shame and disgrace on to those of us who love our plastic grocery bags.  Let’s face it, not only are the bags easy to use, re-use, and store, but they have successfully kept my produce and raw chicken from any cross-contamination.

I use my bags for picking up pet waste (doggie doo), as small kitchen and bathroom trash bag liners (money saver!), and the rest I simply drop back into the recycling bin at the front of my local grocery store.  I have tried reusable bags, and still sometimes use them, but recent reports of lead levels and toxins in some of the bags -not to mention the food-borne bacteria they can harbor- have lead me right back to my trusty plastic bags…  and I love them.

Fortunately for me, I was able to learn some things I didn’t know this week about the plastic bag industry.  I was able to score a little time with the Phil Rozenski, the Director of Marketing at Hilex Poly, the leading manufacturer and recycler of plastic bags in the U.S.

In our phone interview, Mr. Rozenski told me something shocking:  Plastic bags are actually a Green industry, and create Green jobs.

According to Rozenski, not only 60% of people re-use their bags for other things (like I do), but that currently “Seventy-five percent of bags are reused, re-purposed or recycled.”

There are a few more interesting facts about Hilex  that I learned from Mr. Rozenski, and the plastic bag industry…

1. Hilex specializes in the use of recycled material in their bags, with with recycled material in their bags at 25 percent over the collective production line. Some products made by Hilex have as much as 40 percent recycled material.

2.  Hilex has their own recycling plant, and they expect the plastic bag industry to be able to create a “cradle to cradle” system industry-wide in the future – meaning all plastic bags will be fully recyclable into themselves.

3.  Plastic bag recycling points have been established in churches, schools,  and grocery stores by Hilex, numbering more than 30,000 specific locations.

4.  By operating their company, Hilex creates 1250 jobs directly in the U.S., plus 3,000-5,000 jobs are created indirectly as a result of their products.  Mr. Rozenski estimates that industry-wide there are about 10,000 and 50,000 direct and indirect jobs, respectively. (That’s AMERICAN jobs, right here in the U.S.!)

5.  Hilex also makes reusable bags, for which recyclable liners can be used to keep them sanitary.

6.  Hilex was recognized by the Green Earth Journal on the Discovery Channel for its innovative “Bag-2-Bag” recycling program.

About recycling plastic bags…

Hilex Poly is not just the leading manufacturer of plastic bags in the U.S., they are also the only company who has their own recycling infrastructure in place to re-process all kinds of plastic wraps (like shrink wrap) and plastic bags.

Those 30,000 recycling points implemented by Hilex Poly are just from that company alone. There are thousands of other places to recycle plastic bags and, despite the conservative quote by Mr. Rozenski regarding 75% percent of all bags being re-used , the video by the Discovery Channel actually estimates the recycling and re-use rate to be as high as 90% in the home.

Legislation and Taxes to Stop the Plastic Bag Industry….

As a result of the Go Green movement, misunderstandings by consumers and legislators have led to unfair taxes and legislation against the plastic bag industry.  People need to know the facts - including that plastic bags not only provide a sanitary “first use” role in protection against food-borne illness in food coming from supermarkets, but that the negative information about the industry has been greatly exaggerated.  Taxes on bags mean we pay more for our groceries, plain and simple.  In addition, eliminating the plastic bag industry means eliminating GREEN jobs right here in our country.

For anyone who wants to know more about the plastic bag industry, statistics, where they are headed and what individuals can do to help better inform their legislators about the real truth about the plastic bag industry, check out some of the information on the links below.

I love my plastic bags, and I love the earth too !  Now I know I can have both.

Resources:

Bag-2-Bag Recycling Program

The truth about plastic bags

Bag the Ban – YouTube channel to education consumers regarding banning plastic and reusable  bags

Hilex Poly

PLEASE SHARE this information so people may become better informed.

Home Improvement -Try websites like Freecycle and Habitat for Humanity (look for their re-stores). They should have local stores or “re-stores” where you can pick up home improvement products at a fraction of the cost of the home improvement stores. Not to mention the fact that the products are either recycled, re-usable or brand new overages from builders who would otherwise dump it in a landfill.General Recycling of Goods/

Clothing – If you need cash you can take your best articles to a consignment store. They will do all the work and you will make more money from your clothes than selling out of your garage.

If you have designer duds, they have clothing exchange parties that you can exchange/get credit for your old stuff and walk away with someone elses “old stuff” (yeah, it’s probably only a year old and worn twice, but hey… some girls gotta shop). Nevertheless, this is great therapy for shopaholics who had to cut back in a bad economy.

Business Services and Products – Join a local barter exchange. You can find them in your local chamber of commerce, or at the website of IRTA (Click on “Membership”)*.

*Make sure to talk to your accountant about these kinds of exchanges. Barters are taxable and are required to be reported to the IRS.

Vacations – Did you know you can also barter or trade timeshares or vacation properties? If you have a second home or a timeshare you can trade with other people for unique vacations and new places. Use what you already have to find ways to bring something new and exciting to your family this year

When it comes right down to it, there are ways to get what you want and save money that you may never thought of before. The internet has made this easy for just about everyone. I will leave you with three places that can help you: (1) Freecycle.com has just about everything. (2) When it comes to get Craigslist, don’t be afraid to barter or trade–most people just want to get rid of stuff. (3)Meetup.com helps you connect with people in your particular area to arrange or trade almost anything.