Small Australian Town Bans Bottled Water

As many cities around the world continue pushing single-use bag legislation, one city in Australia has implemented a ban on another source of plastic waste: water bottles.

The small town of Bundanoon near Sydney, a town of 2,500 people, banned plastic water bottles Thursday, July 9 to help save money and the environment, in what is called the "Bundy on Tap" campaign.

Citizens of Bundanoon have been hostile toward the bottled-water industry for a long time. Over the past few years, an Australian beverage company has tried numerous times to extract city water, which would be transported to other places in Australia.

Bundanoon is one of the only places to ever ban plastic water bottles. (Associated Press) The city suggested retailers who will lose profits from the sale of bottled water could sell eco-friendly reusable water bottles instead. The citizens hope this reduction in single-use water bottles will bring people back to drinking out of the tap.

As consumers all over the world become more privy to the environmental cost to their consumptive behavior, new businesses have emerged. Reusable water bottles companies are now becoming household names as more consumers say no to the disposable water bottle. Companies like Sigg and Klean Kanteen have grown successful from the support of eco-conscious consumers.

In 2008, Australians spent $390 million on bottled water. Although Bundanoon is just a small city, its water bottle ban will have a ripple effect through the entire country. (Associated Press)

Meanwhile, in the United States, some measures have been taken to reduce the amount of bottled water consumed within state and federal governments. Several U.S. Cities have put a stop to spending tax dollars on bottled water, which is often consumed at government meetings and events.

Food & Water Watch, a U.S.-based non-profit, does just what its name tells you - examines the environmental and health problems with food and water. Their mission says, "We challenge the corporate control and abuse of our food and water resources by empowering people to take action and by transforming the public consciousness about what we eat and drink." (Food & Water Watch)

Take Back the Tap is the non-profit's campaign to bring awareness about the harmful environmental effect of disposable drink bottles, as well as encouraging people to choose tap over bottled water. Here are some facts from their web site:

• Worldwide bottling of water uses about 2.7 million tons of plastic each year.
  
• About 86 percent of empty plastic water bottles in the United States land in the garbage instead of being recycled.
  
• Manufacturing the 28.6 billion PET water bottles in the United States takes the equivalent of 177.6 million barrels of oil. (Take Back the Tap)

Many companies are also finding ways to divert plastic water bottles from landfills. Most water bottles are made from PET, a resource that can be easily recycled and turned into fabric as well as other items. The fiber can be used to make carpet, shoes or insulation. Patagonia uses recycled PET to make clothing and ChicoBag™ offers a reusable bag made of PET called the ChicoBag rePETe™.

With all the waste produced from plastic water bottles and plastic bags, the city of Bundanoon may be a microcosm of a globally conscious shift to keep our earth a clean place for future generations.

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Penang, Malaysia Implements "No Plastic Bag Day"

Penang, Malaysia successfully launched "No Plastic Bag Day" last Monday, and despite industry pressures, will continue the campaign each Monday from here on out.

In an effort to preserve the environment and become the first "green" state in Malaysia, over 300 Penang retailers are on board and charging 20 sen (approximately six US cents) for each plastic bag given out on "No Plastic Bag Day". The program will eliminate single-use bag waste while giving back to the community. All proceeds from plastic bag sales will benefit the Partners Against Poverty Campaign. (The Star)

Following the launch of the program last Monday, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng received a request from the Malaysian Plastic Manufacturers Association (MPMA). Lim Kok Book, president of MPMA wrote, "We propose that the state government replace the 'No Plastic Bag Day' campaign with a more comprehensive programme." (Bernama)

In April, a public forum was held to discuss the pros and cons of "No Plastic Bag Day" and a final decision was made to go forward with it. Lim has not looked back and despite MPMA's plea, "No Plastic Bag Day" will continue each Monday as planned. (Bernama)

Hong Kong Instates 50-cent Bag Fee

On Tuesday, Hong Kong rolled out a 50-cent bag fee for all major retailers. Hong Kong---the compact city notoriously known for bright lights and crowds, will help its citizens adopt a reusable bag habit where plastic bags have traditionally been thrown away by the millions every day.

The fee currently applies to over 2,000 retailers. After testing the fee for one year, the Hong Kong government plans extend the fee to all retailers in the city. (Channel News Asia)

The fee was pushed by Secretary of the Environment, Edward Yau, who acknowledged that Hong Kong has flippantly used and disposed of plastic bags.

"The levy...provides a direct economic incentive to discourage the indiscriminate use of plastic shopping bags," Yau said. (Environmental Protection Dept.)

With seven million people living within 425 square miles, Channel News Asia reports that the average citizen uses three plastic bags per day. With numbers like those, Hong Kong citizens have been throwing away over eight billion shopping bags every year.

Pollution has plagued Hong Kong for many years. The city sits on the southeast shore of China near the Greater Pearl River Delta, where over 55,000 factories create air and land pollution. (CNN)

Three years ago, a survey was taken by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce regarding Hong Kong's pollution. Some of the results revealed people were disinclined to visit or live in such a polluted city. Of those surveyed, 78 percent of people who lived in Hong Kong wanted to leave because the lack of environmental quality. (CNN)

Now the Hong Kong government is taking measures to reduce waste and clean up the city. The government hopes the bag fee will create a decline in landfill waste by 50 percent.

All participating retailers will feature a universal sign displaying a bag and a 50-cent fee to make shoppers aware of which stores charge for plastic bags. As part of the educational component to the fee, Hong Kong's environmental department will issue magnets in four languages to citizens to ensure people remember to bring their own bag.

Bag Monster at High Sierra

The High Sierra Music Festival up in Quincy, CA was a blast this last weekend; I had such a great time! There were great bands, great people, and great times to be had. I made a few friends and spread the message of single-use bags but unfortunately had quite a few run-ins with the pesky ChicoBag Company.

I mingled with some cool musicians like Dr. Dog (below), got a little bit of stage time after the Tea Leaf Green performance and even had time to relax in an early morning Yoga class!

A ChicoBag representative was there educating people on the harms of single-use bags and was giving away compact, reusable ChicoBags as an alternative. Don't people realize I will cease to exist if they continue to use reusable bags?













Everyone waltzed around proudly carrying their ChicoBags with them. Even big wig, Casey Lowdermilk (left) proudly carried his ChicoBag around with him. The hopeful ChicoBag representative (above) snuck a few ChicoBags into my plasticy layers in hopes that I would change my ways and kick my single-use lifestyle.

Feeling slightly discouraged, and somewhat insulted by the overwhelming number of reusable ChicoBags around, I knew I had to get on stage to spread the word of Bag Monsters. The colorful and compact ChicoBags I was given earlier were eating away at my plastic core - I had to get rid of them!

I got on stage and unloaded the ChicoBags on the crowd who went wild for them - not exactly the reaction I was hoping for! It wasn't a total loss, I did manage to get a few good words in on the wonderful attributes of plastic bags...













I was exhausted after my stage time and thought I would sneak out to find some relief from the sun. I was greeted by a glorious pool of water! As you know, I love swimming in rivers and oceans! I hopped in and started to relax when out of nowhere ChicoBag fans attacked!!I barely escaped and figured I should gather my things and be on my way soon...these people were serious about fighting single-use!

Inspired by Ireland, Wales Considers Bag Fee

On June 27, the Welsh Assembly asked for public opinion on instating a 15-pence bag fee in Wales. The fee is part of the country's goal to eliminate waste by five percent in 16 years, and get rid of landfill waste entirely by 2050.

As part of the bag fee, the Assembly has asked retailers to volunteer to reduce the amount of single-use bags they hand out to customers with hopes of reducing bag waste by 50% this spring.

Like most U.S. cities attempting to pass bag fees, the Welsh Assembly wants to emulate Ireland's bag fee - which reduced bag waste by 90% since the induction of the fee seven years ago.

Plastic bags continue to be a menace to the landscape in Wales. Last year, 9.9 billion plastic bags were taken home from stores. That's the equivalent of 400 plastic bags per household (BBC News). The Welsh Assembly calculated that it costs about £1 million per year to clean up plastic waste from the environment.

If the fee is approved, the Assembly plans to appropriate the money raised from the fee on environmental conservation.

Wales has set a goal to establish environmental initiatives for the future. What they're calling "One Wales" is a series of programs to help the country become more sustainable. Along with eliminating landfill waste by 2050, the country hopes to boost their recycling program and look to renewable energy sources for power (Guardian). The Welsh Assembly is the first government in the United Kingdom to make an effort to reduce single-use bag waste.

Bag Monster at PTA Show

Bag Monster™ was spotted at the PTA show in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida with five time Olympic swimmer, Dara Torres.

What do Bag Monster™ and Dara Torres have in common?

- Both great swimmers
- Both can tread water for a long time
- Both are really hot!

Bag Monster at LOHAS

I had a nice vacation in Boulder, CO last week. I went by the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Conference to make a few new friends, but most attendees saw right through my plastic exterior. My attempt to educate people on the greatness of plastic bags fell on deaf ears. Carly Werthelm, Co-President of Teens Turning Green (left) was nice enough to stop and snap a photo with me. I tried to convince her that plastic bags were superior to her ChicoBag Vita, but she wasn't buying it. Gwynne Rogers of The Natural Marketing Institute (right) didn't buy my story either - I guess she cares more about the environment than Bag Monsters.














I had to escape in a hurry, the owner of ChicoBag was at the conference, and you know how he feels about Bag Monsters. On my way out, I couldn't resist leaving a Bag Monster spawn. With so many proposed bag fees and bans around the world I am concerned about future generations of Bag Monsters.