BYOB to DC

Mother Nature Network reports that Washington D.C. is now taxing consumers for once free grocery bags.

Implemented on January 1 the tax now requires businesses that sell food or liquor to charge customers 5 cents for each paper or plastic bag used. All proceeds go into the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection fund. Lawmakers estimate that $3.6 million will be raised this year.

Read the full story: New year brings bag fee to D.C.

Photo by teddave / Flickr

Plastic waste becomes fashion

Reuters video reports on plastic bag restructuring into fashion handbags in Manila, Philippines.

Watch below:

D.C. could tax bags, plastic and paper

US News & World Report's Fresh Greens blog reports that the D.C. city council voted to approve a 5 cent tax on plastic and paper bags.

If [this tax is] approved in a second vote later this month, [that] would make the District the first city in the U.S. to institute a bag fee.

San Francisco banned plastic bags outright in 2007, and Los Angeles' ban will go into effect in 2010. Several other cities have tried to assess bag taxes, but have not yet been successful: Seattle residents will vote on a 20-cent tax in August, and a measure in New York was blocked. Last month, the Philadelphia City Council a 20-cent tax on bags, citing the recession.

So what does this mean for consumers in D.C., and other cities that may follow suit? Those who choose not to buy reusable bags can look at an additional $7-$15 dollars spent per year, depending on how frequently they shop.

Proceeds will benefit the notoriously polluted Anacostia River in D.C.

Read the full story: D.C. council approves plastic bag fee

Chinese plastic bag ban: a success

Environmental News Network reports that China's almost complete ban on plastic bags - consumers can still purchase thicker plastic bags - is a success.

Consumers have easily adapted by bringing their own bags and some have even gone back to using traditional baskets.

The ban makes it illegal for shops to hand out free plastic bags to shoppers.

"China's central government dealt this heavy blow to plastic bags out of concern for the environment and a desire for greater energy savings. People in China use up to 3 billion plastic bags daily and dispose of more than 3 million tons of them annually. Most of the carriers end up in unofficial dumping sites, landfills, or the environment. Urban dumping centers and open fields alongside railways and expressways are littered with the discarded bags, mostly whitish ultra-thin varieties. Such scenes have generated a special term in China: "the white pollution."

Read the full story: China watch: plastic bag ban trumps market and consumer efforts

Plastic bag ban expands in San Francisco

Not only is San Francisco the first to outlaw plastic bags in large supermarkets but it is now widening that law to pharmacy chains too reports the local TV news station KNTV.

Ecotravel News was very disappointed when New York City was exploring a similar plastic bag ban but instead only got the edict for grocery chains to recycle bags; something that California supermarkets have had in place for over a decade.

Now that SF is successful in its attempt at being an environmental leader, hopefully other large cities can be inspired and also pass more stringent plastic bag laws.

Read the full story: SF plastic bag ban to expand

Campaign for camel health

Cameron Oliver, an 11-year-old South African boy living in Abu Dhabi, wants to save camels from the unnatural death of ingesting plastic bag litter.

Reuters recently produced a video report about the young man's campaign that tells people they are directly responsible for killing camels by littering and what they can do to prevent it.



For more on this please visit the website: cameronscamelcampaign.com

Art created with plastic bags

Plastic bags are the scourge of the environment.

They are hard to avoid in every day life and even harder when traveling, ask Senator Barack Obama. (We endorsed Hillary remember?)

So whenever a clever way of reusing or recycling plastic bags comes along, we like it.

One doesn't usually think of art when thinking about plastic bags, but that is what one innovative art student did.

Joshua Allen Harris (left in picture) created art using plastic bags and air pushed out through the New York City subway grating.

Some of his creations include the Air Bear:


the Air Zoo:


and the Air Giraffe:


According to the Associated Press, these creations are usually installed in the Chelsea neighborhood near Mr. Harris' art school.

So now there's another thing to add to visitors' or curious environmentalists' lists of things-to-see-or-do in NYC.