Since New York City is getting a weekly dose of snow this winter, the look on the streets is decidedly white. However, a hint of greener things to come is popping up in the City Council with a bill that place fees on plastic bags returns. Though you can find stores with wholesale reusable shopping bags at most counters in New York, a statewide bill making it mandatory to charge for single-use bags would force big changes in the Big Apple. As it stands, New York wastes plastic bags on a scale...

Advocates for the environment have always looked for ways to show conservation as the epitome of common sense. If we help foster a healthy ecosystem, doesn’t everyone benefit? The answer may be clear, but business owners are only starting to realize how going green is a money maker in terms of operation savings and branding in today’s marketplace. From reusable shopping bags to retrofitting HVAC systems, a green company mission is the profitable way to go. Indeed, everyone wins when...

They say the plastic bag is our modern-day tumbleweed. No matter where you go in your daily travels, you’ll find plastic bags zipping by you, getting stuck under your feet or clogging the gutter. The widespread littering and pollution you see has prompted many communities to ban plastic bags. Are wholesale tote bags the answer to this problem? Though you can’t say replacing single-use bags with reusable bags at checkout counters will eliminate pollution, it would undoubtedly make a...

With plastic bags already banned in Austin and eight other cities in Texas, the larger cities in the state are looking into ways to reduce a growing pile of plastic waste. On January 15, 2014 the Dallas City Council debated ways to address the problem. In March, the council will take a vote on a detailed proposal. Store owners who want to get the jump on a potential plastic bag ban are already thinking about designing wholesale reusable bags for their stores. When a city finally agrees to put...

It’s barely weeks into 2014, but Virginia’s state assembly already has a bill that would allow districts in the northern part of the commonwealth to impose a tax on disposable (i.e. single-use) bags as long as they notify the tax agency about the plan. If this bill became law, it would create a situation similar to Washington, D.C., where a tax is in place to encourage the adoption of reusable shopping bags. Local environmental groups celebrated the dramatic decline in use of plastic bags...

Due to the complications of U.S. politics, no plastic bag ban has been able to cover every county within a state, that is, until now. Hawaii has passed legislation that brings all four of the state’s populated counties under a plastic bag reduction effort. As every Hawaiian gets into the habit of using eco-friendly grocery bags, there is hope when it comes to reducing the pollution of this great state’s natural resources. Natural Resources That Demand Protecting One of the Sierra Club...

When looking to the world’s eco-friendliest countries, it’s rare to consider China on any shortlist. However, China is now celebrating the five-year anniversary of their plastic bag ban. Environmental experts have been speculating why the world’s most notorious polluter banned plastic; but the reality is reusable shopping bags are the norm in one of the world’s top consumer markets. Clearly, part of the motivation was tied to the horrendous effects plastic bags have on the ecosystem. At...

It is safe to say that residents across Los Angeles seem to be enthusiastic about the plastic bag bang that is soon going into effect. In fact, reports of enthusiasm and collaboration are widespread as the largest U.S. city to ban plastic bags makes the switch to eco-friendly reusable grocery bags . The L.A. Times recently reported the city is teaming up with nonprofit organizations supporting war veterans and at-risk youth and manufacturing reusable bags for the cause. Together with...

The battle against plastic bag pollution is picking up steam in Massachusetts. Less than a month after Brookline began its plastic bag ban, Cambridge’s city council is discussing a ban that would require shoppers to use eco-friendly grocery bags or recyclable paper bags when heading to the store. The issue is the same one seen across the country: it is no longer acceptable to waste numerous plastic bags for a simple shopping trip. Once local pollution piles up and residents realize plastic is...

The ban on plastic bags continues to make its debut across many cities in the U.S, and East Coast cities are getting on board in a big way. The Boston suburb of Brookline began a ban on both plastic bags and plastic foam containers at the start of December, signaling major changes ahead for the region. Store owners in Brookline are already ordering wholesale reusable shopping bags to comply with the law and help customers avoid using paper substitutes. Overall, Brookline’s solution to ban...