#6 Bags
Closing the Loop on Plastic Bags
Season 1, Episode 6
In this episode, themed around the plastic bag problem, Sofia interviews the founder of Chico Bags Andy Keller. Keller has become an outspoken opponent of plastic bags, creating a character called the “Bag Monster” from 500 plastic bags, the number each American uses annually. He uses this to raise awareness about the environmental impact of disposable bags. In January 2011, his company was sued by three leading plastic-bag manufacturers accusing it of causing “irreparable harm” to their business by defaming their product. Though we can not talk about that on the podcast Andy can talk facts and hacks around plastic bags.
Thank you, Andy, for being an inspiration and founding a company we can be happy putting our dollars into.
LINKS, CREDITS AND HOW TO LISTEN AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.
The Blog Post
“I haven’t purchased trash bags in over a decade and don’t miss them at all. ”
So stoked to have Andy Keller, founder of Chico Bags, as the guest on this podcast episode. Andy has truly been a leader in banning the bag, not just in California. I would argue that his efforts have helped spark a worldwide movement that is growing faster than ever.
If you want to read a little bit more about Andy and his battle against the plastic bag, check out this publication in Rolling Stone Magazine and this one in Forbes. So many great things to read. Both of these articles are about 8 years old but it just goes to show how long activists have been waging this fight against pointless plastic.
Right out high school, I started working at Trader Joes. It was such a great job. I got to learn about all kinds of cheeses and wine. When you work at TJ's, you are part of a crew, and you do everything from the cashier, bagging groceries, restocking shelves, taking out the trash. We did it all. It was such a great way to meet people, and I am happy to say I am still friends with some of the people I worked with back in the day. We had our regular customers, but every so often, a customer came in with their reusable bags, and we would know that they were "foreigners." We would be so intrigued by those who brought a beautiful basket or tote bags and would strike up a conversation about where they were from. South Africa, Australia, the UK, for these people BYOB was the norm. This was before we charged for grocery bags. Back in their country, people just rolled this way, and my colleagues and I loved it. Those were the cool customers. I found it interesting how some customers would get offended if I dared to ask if they needed a bag when they had a single item or something small.
One of the full Timers at TJ’s, aka supervisors, lovingly nicknamed me Re-psycho, so you know how long I’ve been that eco-lifestyle. Given that I graduated high school in 2000, it’s safe to say it’s been at least a good 20 years plus that I’ve been going down this eco-aware road.
Even my grandmother in Mexico would have her own beautiful woven bags ..
…that we would take to "hacer el mandado," ala run errands. Growing up and going to el Mercado with my grandma is still one of my favorite memories. Of course, we had supermarkets in Mexico, but going to el Mercado de Abastos (which is an indoor farmers market) was something that made me excited. Whether every single vendor gave us plastic bags or not, I can't remember. But what I do remember is my grandma always rolling up with her own. Maybe it was because her bags were pretty (she was always so fashionable), but that was just the way she did it. So this habit of bringing your own started for me when I was young.
Think of a time when …
…you have gone to the gas station or a 7-11, for instance, and you get your bag of chips in a plastic bag for just one item. It's utterly ridiculous. Or your subway sandwich in a bag that you immediately take out of the bag when you sit down to eat right in the store. I've seen people I know (I won't mention names) pull a bag of chips or water bottle right out the bag and throw it away in the trash can directly as they are walking out of the convenience store. That poor bag didn't even get a chance to be reused as a trash bag on our road trip. It was literally used for four seconds.
Story Time…
I've told this story so many times, so if you've heard it before, I apologize in advance. I was once volunteering for One of my favorite non-profits at a Children's Earth Day festival. I had my two boys with me who were little and helping me run the booth. This lady comes up, and she asks if our organization was responsible for the recent plastic bag ban in California, to which I proudly responded yes (along with other non-profits, of course). Her response and I quote was "F-CK you. F*Ck you. Do you know how difficult you have made it for working-class parents like me?" I was utterly shocked, and so were my boys. Majoring in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding, I employed every tactic I had learned about to try and answer as respectfully as possible.
My boys were sitting in their tiny camping chairs, little bags of popcorn in hand watching this exchange between this outraged lady and I like it was a ping pong tournament. She went on to argue, " Who even remembers to bring their own bag to the grocery store?" Umm... plenty of people! She said that “this bag ban had forced stores to increase their prices to make up for now having to offer paper bags instead of plastic” Hello! Weren't bags free before the ban? Wouldn't it be that grocery stores were now making money from distributing bags instead? She was clearly angry about some other issues entirely of my control, and I found it odd that she would even be attending an Earth Day fair seeing how she felt about initiatives meant to protect the environment. I was as respectful as possible but was left in total shock. I couldn't believe that someone felt so negatively about something I felt so proud of.
I couldn't and still don't understand how someone could be mad at what I view as progress. Everyone sees the world through their own unique lens, and that's ok. It's about finding common ground as difficult as that may be. While its understandable that 8 years ago low-income folks might worry about the extra money spent on grocery bags that could be spent on actual groceries. The fact is that there are plenty of free bags to go around. I've seen bag sharing programs pop up all over the place. I've gotten to the point where I refuse reusable bags when it’s given away as swag. I have a vintage suitcase right by my front door that is full of reusable bags - no joke. Long handles, short handles, cotton, cute - all kinds of bags. I have three insulated bags in the trunk of my car full of reusable bags and cloth produce bags for when I do my grocery runs. I don't need any more reusable bags in my life. It's almost become a running joke among my friends where we are beyond the saying #refusesingleuse . Its more like #nomoretotes PLEASE!!
There are all kinds of reusable bags out there, but my absolute favorite ones…
…are the ones that fold into themselves and fit into the palm of your hand or your purse, backpack, or glove compartment. Chico Bag makes some awesome ones made from recycled plastic bottles, which I love because it demonstrates how we can turn single-use items into long-lasting, high-quality materials that can be used over and over.
Long story short, we won’t ALWAYS remember to bring our bags to the store, I know this. But here are some simple hacks in case you do forget.
HACKS
Ask for a wine box to put your groceries in as you can easily recycle cardboard. Andy Keller shares his hack around forgetting bags at the market on this episode of the podcast.
Write to your local store and ask them to stop offering “reusable” plastic bags. You know places like Target (Here’s a petition)
When you go to the mall, don’t get a bag at every single store - put it all in one or simply refuse one for small items.
Start composting at home. By separating your wet waste, you eliminate the need to use a bag at all. I haven’t purchased trash bags in over a decade and don’t miss them at all. I have two buckets under my sink and a compost bin. All the actual “trash” I generate is mostly plastic wrap of some sort. For my bathroom trash, I use an empty bag of cereal or tortillas. We love tortillas at my house. My goal is to find a place where I can buy them fresh and bring my own bag, but until then store-bought it is (stay tuned).
If you have a pet use newspaper. If you haven’t removed yourself from junk mail lists, I’m sure there is plenty of scrap paper that can be used for this. Andy Keller shares his pet hack on this episode of the podcast. Sure buying compostable/biodegradable bags might make you feel better, but they don’t break down in the landfill. And no, you shouldn’t compost dog poop.
If you find a place that sells dry goods in bulk, you can avoid a lot of items that are packaged in plastic. You can bring an empty jar to refill. Just remember to write down the weight first.
That’s all for now, folks. Thanks again for tuning in and make sure to check out the playlist for this episode courtesy of @djladysinclair @hautemobiledisco
Links, Books & More
Articles by Andy Keller www.bagmonster.com
Credits
Thank you to our sponsors Chico Bags, Etee & Haute Mobile Disco
This Episode's playlist was curated by our co-host & producer DJ Lady Sinclair . To hear the curated playlist CLICK HERE!
For a free Zero Waste consultation with Sofia Ratcovich visit www.zerowasteco.com
