You too can be a bag lady!

The next time you go to the grocery store look around just inside the door. There is a plastic bag recycling box. In my little Texas town, I have found boxes at Brookshire Brothers, Lowes and Wal-Mart (west side door). If you know of other stores that recycle please let me know. By now I hope we have all heard about the importance of recycling.

     Yes, it is hard to remember, but let me give you a few tips. First start a place near the back door to collect the bags. You already have a container right there in your hand. Hang that bag on a knob and start collecting. You can collect plastic bags from all stores, the one from your newspaper, retail store bags, dry cleaning bags, bread bags, wrappers from bathroom tissue, paper towels, napkins, beverage cases, diapers and wipes. You get the picture.

     Do not use plastic bottles or tubs that foodstuffs or drinks come in. This is a different type of plastic and must be placed in a different collection spot. Many bags or wrappers are marked with a recycling symbol. It is a triangle made of arrows and has a number in the center. The numbers 2 or 4 are the grade of plastic suitable to the type of recycling we are discussing. 

     When you have collected a good amount, take them to the store with you on your next trip.  If you use a green bag (all cloth bags are considered a green bag no matter what color) put the plastic bags into the green bag. This helps you remember to take it into the store. Better still when making out your grocery list put (green bag) at the top of your list. Yes, some of us even get to the car with it but forget to take it into the store. When you get in the car, put it in the front seat if you can – this will help. One more tip after emptying into the recycling box put your green bag in the top end of the grocery cart. This way you do not have all your groceries on top of your bag when you go to check out.

     BUT what happens to the bags? Number one, they do not go the landfill. If you have further uses for them by all means do so. But when you are done with them move them on to a better use. The bags turned into recycling centers go on to become other useful items. Did you know that the new composite decking is made of recycled plastic bags? Trex composite decking is one of the biggest users of recycled bags. They have used 2.5 million pounds of the stuff in the past decade. Hilex Poly has recycled 400 million pounds into new materials such as larger garbage and lawn bags. Some playground equipment and furniture was once plastic bags. Playgrounds are now concerned about safe surface areas and they have turned to recycled plastic material to provide a safe and healthy environment for our playgrounds. There are many other products, but do I need to make a longer list????

     If you travel outside of Texas you might notice the lack of road trash other states have. Did you know that that lost plastic bags now have a nickname: a Texas tumbleweed. Let’s change that.

     If you locate more recycling boxes around the county please let me know. I will be happy to pass it on.  If you would like to chat I can be reached at PatsChat@livingston.net.