Where do you stand on the great bag debate? Here's what we think...

Urban Tumbleweed

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. Plastic replaced paper as the bag of choice in America in the late 80's. 20 years later, San Francisco became the first city in America to ban the use of plastic bags by large supermarkets and pharmacies. There are approximately 180 million plastic shopping bags distributed in San Francisco every year- bags that do not decompose and often end up as 'urban tumbleweed', littering the streets and even the ocean.

Cost Effective - Price and Resources

Plastic bags are not, however, inherently evil; they cost considerably less than paper or biodegradable bags and use fewer resources to produce, transport, and recycle. Paper, plastic and bio bags are all reusable and recyclable (or compostable); the difference is that the main ingredient in plastic is a non-renewable resource - petroleum.

Choose between two evils?

So, is it better to use a small amount of petroleum to produce a plastic bag or an even larger amount to produce and recycle bags made of renewable resources? We say neither one is a good choice and instead opt for a sturdy reusable shopping bag that can replace hundreds, if not thousands, of 'disposable' bags over its lifetime.

Go green with Reusable Bags!

You've seen them at Trader Joe's but have you considered them for your store? No store is too small to make an impact; stop by or drop us a line to ask about ordering your own reusable shopping bags! And ask to see a sample - we ordered our very own 'green' bags as part of our 10th anniversary celebration.

Still need 'give away' bags?

Trellis Earth, a local Portland company, has come up with a line of Bioplastic bags that we think are superior to most of the 'bio' bags out there. Go Portland! And the price isn't bad either. We offer Bioplastic flat and shopping bags in several sizes and convenient small amounts. Not to worry, we also sell conventional plastic and paper shopping bags in a variety of sizes, colors and amounts. Come see them all in our showroom!

But don't take our word for it, check it out for yourself:

www.sfgate.com (website of the San Francisco Chronicle)

www.worldwatch.org

www.wikipedia.com

www.epa.gov