So far, it’s a trend taken up by smaller operations like Simply Bulk Market of Colorado, or the Brothers Lane LLC group, who plan to open a store under the name “In.gredient” late in 2011 in Austin, Texas. Everything is offered in bins, with customers bringing their own or purchasing reusable containers – and naturally a reusable or paper bag to take it home in. The zero waste grocery store is already fairly well established in Europe, with chains like Effecorta of Italy, where you can buy everything from cosmetic creams to soap, milk and the usual staples in bulk.

What all these existing examples have in common is a reliance on locally grown and produced goods, along with an emphasis on organics. Along with eliminating packaging and eating better, the benefits are several.

-          It has implications for reduction in the use of fuel and pollution from transportation

-          It will reduce consumer waste – estimated at over 25% in the U.S. – since you’ll be able to buy as much or as little as you need

-          It reduces the overall carbon footprint of the grocery business

In the U.S., it’s estimated that 570 million pounds of food packaging ends up in landfills each day. Zero waste grocery stores are one effective way of combating that issue.

Looking for the best in reusable and paper bags? Contact us today for a pressure-free quote. We can help.

Get to know us: IceGreen is one of the largest manufacturers of reusable bags and paper bags around, serving a wide variety of businesses and industries both large and small (Beverage Companies, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Pharmaceuticals and much more) across North America and beyond. And, as the manufacturer, you’re dealing directly with us, saving you time and money.

So far, it’s a trend taken up by smaller operations like Simply Bulk Market of Colorado, or the Brothers Lane LLC group, who plan to open a store under the name “In.gredient” late in 2011 in Austin, Texas. Everything is offered in bins, with customers bringing their own or purchasing reusable containers – and naturally a reusable bag to take it home in. The zero waste grocery store is already fairly well established in Europe, with chains like Effecorta of Italy, where you can buy everything from cosmetic creams to soap, milk and the usual staples in bulk.

What all these existing examples have in common is a reliance on locally grown and produced goods, along with an emphasis on organics. Along with eliminating packaging and eating better, the benefits are several.

-          It has implications for reduction in the use of fuel and pollution from transportation

-          It will reduce consumer waste – estimated at over 25% in the U.S. – since you’ll be able to buy as much or as little as you need

-          It reduces the overall carbon footprint of the grocery business

In the U.S., it’s estimated that 570 million pounds of food packaging ends up in landfills each day. Zero waste grocery stores are one effective way of combating that issue.

With busy schedules, it’s tempting to pack a lot of “convenience” – that is, individually packaged- foods and snacks into a brown bag lunch, but that convenience inevitably costs more both in terms of your pocketbook and the environment. You’ll save on both scores if you go from “brown bagging it” to packing a “waste free” lunch. In fact, the United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates that the average student will save about $250 and 67 pounds of garbage every school year by going waste free.

How do you put together a waste free lunch? It starts with a good reusable lunch bag, and a way of keeping food items at just the right temperature so your lunch can go to school, the office, or anywhere else and still taste great. Reusable thermal bags and insulated  lunch bags are the perfect solution to both issues.  They’ll keep hot foods hot, and cold foods cold until it’s time to eat, and lend themselves to situations where a fridge or microwave might not be available. Reusable bags are typically waterproof too, making them weatherproof for that trek to school or office commute.

To completely eliminate waste, you’ll also want to think about including the following:

-          Reusable cutlery

-          Cloth napkins

-          Refillable drink containers (hot and cold)

-          Reusable food containers (i.e. Tupperware)

-          Composting food scraps

Outside of work and school, reusable thermal bags can be used for picnics and other outdoor events, and anytime you want to bring your own meals. As part of their lunch every weekday, you’re not only saving money and helping the environment, you’re instilling good habits and practices in your kids.

- Health Canada recommends ensuring that you always use reusable bags that are machine washable.

- Reusable bags should be washed after using them to carry meat, poultry, fish and fresh produce. Reusable cloth bags can also be hand-washed with soap and warm water.

- Dry your reusable bags thoroughly after washing them before they are stored or folded up to prevent mold and mildew growth.

- Keep your groceries separate to avoid having to wash all of your reusable bags. For example, place all your meat in one bag, produce in another bag and boxed, non-perishable items or ready-to-eat foods in a different bag.

- For super-fast and easy sanitization of reusable grocery bags, mix 1 tsp of bleach and three cups of water in a spray bottle. Keep the spray bottle labelled and easily accessible, and give your bags a quick spray every so often to kill any bacteria. They can then be rinsed and left to hang dry or rinsed and wiped dry with a towel.   Single-use plastic bags can also accumulate just as much bacteria from produce and meat juices, but are perceived to be less troublesome  to you, not so much for the environment because they can just be thrown away. If plastic bags are kept in your home and reused, they pose a much more serious problem because they are not machine washable and can’t be cleaned properly,  making them that much more dangerous to your health.

Looking for ways for your business to reduce, reuse and recycle?  If so, contact ICEGREEN today.  We can help.

About ICEGREEN: IceGreen is one of the largest manufacturers of lead-free and machine washable reusable bags, serving a wide variety of businesses and industries both large and small (Beverage Companies, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Pharmaceuticals and much more)  across North America and globally.  And, as the manufacturer, you’re dealing directly with us, saving you time and money.  Looking for the best in reusable bags and packaging?  Contact ICEGREEN today.

County supervisors championed the bag ban as a way to eliminate the eyesore known as the “urban tumbleweed” – a collection of tumbling bags that pollutes landfills and often gets washed out to sea. It’s no exaggeration. Ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? It’s a swirling mass of garbage, rife with plastic bags and other debris, and is roughly twice the size of Texas.

Naturally, the bag ban is intended to encourage the use of reusable bags. What makes reusable bags so neat is that everyone “wins” with them. By purchasing a reusable bag, whether or not you live in California, you’re no longer piling onto any urban tumbleweeds or growing garbage patches, which are very harmful to wildlife.

The fact of the matter is that, as much as we could consider reusing or recycling plastic bags, statistically, we just don’t do it for some reason.

Mark Gold, president of the Santa Monica environmental group Heal the Bay, said that previous county efforts to promote recycling plastic bags at grocery stores had been a failure.

“You cannot recycle your way out of the plastic bag problem,” Gold said. “The cost of convenience can no longer be at the expense of the environment.”

But Gold may only be partially right. Yes, plastic bags aren’t the answer. However, in the case of reusable bags (paper or cloth), the notion that you’re protecting the environment at the cost of your own convenience simply isn’t true. Reusable bags do many things for you that plastic bags could never do. They’re washable and much sturdier, able to carry much larger loads. They’re customizable and can serve many different purposes; for example, some reusable bags are thermal, customized to carry food and maintain their desired temperatures.

Reusable bags are both greener and more convenient than plastic bags. So we have the ultimate motivation all over the globe to follow L.A. County’s lead. Ban plastic bags and join the reusable bag movement!

About ICEGREEN: IceGreen is one of the largest manufacturers of lead-free and washable reusable bags, serving a wide variety of businesses and industries both large and small (Beverage Companies, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Pharmaceuticals and much more)  across North America and globally.  And, as the manufacturer, you’re dealing directly with us, saving you time and money.  Looking for the best in reusable bags and packaging?  Contact ICEGREEN today.

The fee is sometimes referred to as the “plastic bag tax”, which is incorrect because the money does not go to the government. The money instead goes to the store to be used however they wish. Critics, including Ford, have said the money should be going to environmental initiatives or that customers should at least have an idea of how their money is being spent. However, there are a few big businesses who have been putting the plastic bag money to good use. Home Depot and Shoppers Drug Mart have donated to sustainable housing projects and cancer research, respectively. The Toronto Environmental Alliance has been given plastic bag money from two businesses, but local businesses, not chain stores.

In the end, it’s only five cents. If shoppers don’t have reusable bags or forgot them in the car, a five cent fee is not likely to make them rush out to their cars and get them. And, many businesses were charging five cents or more before the fee was implemented, and many could continue once the fee is no longer mandatory. A plastic bag ban would be the only way to fully remove the problem single-use plastic bags create for our cities.

Reusable bags are strong and won’t rip when carrying heavy items. They’re safer because they’re machine washable, and reusable bags can hold far more than their wasteful counterparts. Best of all, they’re much better for the environment. It’s likely those who already use reusable bags have discovered how convenient they are and will continue to use them whether the fee is kept or not.

About ICEGREEN: IceGreen is one of the largest manufacturers of lead-free and washable reusable bags, serving a wide variety of businesses and industries both large and small (Beverage Companies, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Pharmaceuticals and much more)  across North America and globally.  And, as the manufacturer, you’re dealing directly with us, saving you time and money.  Looking for the best in reusable bags and packaging?  Contact ICEGREEN today.

The first was conducted on behalf of the folks who make plastic bags and the other was conducted by the Center for Consumer Freedom, which works with the top plastics industry lobbying group in the United States.

Single-use plastic bags are also capable of carrying bacteria, but they’re disposable. They last one use, and are then tossed into the garbage worry-free… where they spend the rest of their days in a landfill or clogging up storm drains. If consumers try to do the right thing and reuse their single-use plastic bags, the bags can harbour bacteria and they cannot be properly cleaned. Lead can be a concern with cheaper products of any type, because it is used in paint pigments.

A new study conducted by Washington ecology officials recently looked at 31 different reusable bags for the presence of lead, only finding one with unsafe levels. The offending bag is no longer available to consumers. Finally, a study with the environment in mind and no political agenda is poking holes in the results of the previous flawed reusable bag studies.

IceGreen reusable bags are completely machine washable and should be washed about once per month if you’re using them to transport groceries for optimal food safety. And, IceGreen reusable bags are completely lead-free.

It looks like reusable bags are back on their way to earning a place in the hearts of consumers who want a convenient way to help the environment. But then again, we’ve always thought reusable bags were cool.

About ICEGREEN: IceGreen is one of the largest manufacturers of lead-free and washable reusable bags, serving a wide variety of businesses and industries both large and small (Beverage Companies, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Pharmaceuticals and much more)  across North America and globally.  And, as the manufacturer, you’re dealing directly with us, saving you time and money.  Looking for the best in reusable bags and packaging?  Contact ICEGREEN today.

A recent article in the Miami Herald reported that shoppers are making an effort to keep them in their cars for everyday grocery shopping, and most shoppers seem to keep an average of 15 reusable bags available at all times.

Even the latest unfavourable reports put forth by the plastics industry on issues with reusable bags didn’t faze shoppers. For example, it’s been said that a reusable bag must be used 11 times before it equals the environmental impact of a single-use plastic bag because of the manufacturing process. But in reality, that’s less than once per month and most shoppers are using these bags every chance they get.

“Eleven times doesn’t sound too intimidating,” lifestyle editor at Sierra Club Magazine Avital Binshtock told the Miami Herald, “If you think about how many times you go to the grocery store in a year – 11 times is manageable. If the bag is in good shape, you can keep them for years.” This data also doesn’t take into account the environmental impact single-use plastic bags have at the end of their life, clogging up storm drains and being eaten by wildlife in our oceans, rivers and lakes.

The other issue is that reusable bags can harbour bacteria, but so can plastic bags – and plastic bags cannot be washed. Reusable bags are machine washable, and should be washed about once per month.

“I’ve been using reusable bags before it was the ‘in’ thing,” artist Stefanie Marco told the Miami Herald. “Doorknobs are bad. If they get dirty, wash them.”

Want to begin offering reusable bags to your customers as a business?  If so, contact ICEGREEN today.  We can help.

About ICEGREEN: IceGreen is one of the largest manufacturers of lead-free and washable reusable bags, serving a wide variety of businesses and industries both large and small (Beverage Companies, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Pharmaceuticals and much more)  across North America and globally.  And, as the manufacturer, you’re dealing directly with us, saving you time and money.  Looking for the best in reusable bags and packaging?  Contact ICEGREEN today.

But there’s a lot more out there than just reusable shopping bags. Reusable bags can be used for transporting just about anything, including food items that have to remain hot or cold.

Reusable thermal bags can be used to keep food items hot or cold, whether in your store as a part of everyday business to transport food to customers, or used by customers to bring hot or cold food home.

Insulated bags are another reusable bag that can help you kick your brown paper lunch bags to the curb. Brown paper bags can be reused until they get wet, and then they’re just thrown away. They can’t keep food hot or cold until lunch time like insulated lunch bags can, though.

Reusable produce bags can help take everyday grocery shopping one step further. With all the focus on reusable shopping bags, many people forget the flimsy plastic produce bags left in the cart and blowing around the parking lot. Reusable produce bags can be another source of income for the store, selling them in the produce aisle, and another way to cut down on waste.

If you think reusable bags can’t do anything for your business, think again. Not only can they be custom branded with your own logo or design, they can be sold or given away as prizes or rewards. No matter what the type, reusable bags can help you and your business go green.

Looking for ways for your business to reduce, reuse and recycle?  If so, contact ICEGREEN today.  We can help.

About ICEGREEN: IceGreen is one of the largest manufacturers of lead-free and washable reusable bags, serving a wide variety of businesses and industries both large and small (Beverage Companies, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Pharmaceuticals and much more)  across North America and globally.  And, as the manufacturer, you’re dealing directly with us, saving you time and money.  Looking for the best in reusable bags and packaging?  Contact ICEGREEN today.

Use reusable bags

Use reusable bags when you go shopping to help reduce the number of plastic bags that hang around forever in landfills, blow around on city streets and end up in our lakes, rivers and oceans.

Help shoppers go green

More and more consumers want to go green. Help them out through your own branded products for your business: Consider giving away custom-designed reusable bags (like reusable shopping bags and reusable product bags if you’re a grocery store), reusable and recycled paper bags (stronger and greener than your usual high-end boutique paper bags) or reusable newspaper and laundry bags (great for hotels who want to be more environmentally-conscious and cut down on waste).

Support green companies

Take the time to look into “green” companies for products and services you choose to deal with. It’s easy to say the products you use  are ecologically responsible and green, especially on Earth Day. But are they really? Do some research to ensure that companies you do business with really care about the environment – or are they just trying to take advantage of people’s desire to go green and make a buck?

Make reusable products a part of every day life

Consider using reusable or recycled gift-wrap and gift packaging, starting a recycling program at home or at work and investing in stainless steel coffee mugs or BPA-free water bottles instead of relying on plastic.

Earth Day Facts

• Earth Day was established in 1970 by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson, with 22 million people participating.
• Earth Day 2007 is considered the largest Earth Day event to date internationally, with at least 1 billion people participating.
• The “Earth Day” name came from an advertising executive whose birthday fell on April 22nd, and he saw a natural connection because of the rhyming of “Earth Day” with “birthday”.
• Canada’s first official Earth Day was on September 11th, 1980, but Canada has since adopted the celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd.
• Today, an estimated 500 million people in 175 different countries participate in Earth Day.   Consider adopting green philosophies of your own by using reusable shopping bags, and incorporating green, reusable and recyclable packaging products into your business practices.