All posts by Bulletin Bag

Reusable Bag Law Launches in Kauai and Maui

Green Issues, Plastic Bag Bans, ,

byobagIn Hawaii, Kauai and Maui are leading the way by banning single use plastic bags that easily find their way into water streams, ocean currents and the stomachs of birds and fish. The laws went into effect on January 11.

On Kauai, all commercial businesses, including restaurants and takeout food establishments, are restricted from providing plastic bags at checkout. Recyclable paper bags and biodegradable bags will replace plastic. Businesses that fail to comply face a $250 per-day fine for the first notice, $500 a day for the second notice, and $1,000 a day for the third. Plastic bags are permitted for raw meat, poultry, produce and bagging up bulk foods. Dry cleaning plastic garment bags are exempt from the ban.

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Bulletin Bag [.com] Pledge: End Plastic Bag Use in 2011

Green Issues,
  • Around the world, four to five trillion plastic bags are used each year
  • Every one of those bags takes an average of 750 years to decompose
  • Roughly 46,000 pieces of plastic litter are floating in every square mile of ocean
  • One hundred thousand marine mammals and sea turtles will die this year from ingesting plastic

Got your attention? Ready to do something about it?

Join Bulletin Bag [.com] in our efforts to reduce plastic waste by increasing the use of reusable bags. Sign our pledge, show your commitment, and share your ideas on reducing plastic bag consumption.

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Reusable Grocery Bag Etiquette

Reusable Bag Tips,

reusableWe all know why to use reusable grocery bags over plastic and paper single use bags. But, we also need to remember that this shift in buyer behaviors is also forcing a shift in the way our cashiers and baggers do their job. Here are a few common-courtesy ideas for when you hand over your cool, printed reusable bags to the bagger (and don’t forget to wash your bags before you get that far):

  • Empty your reusable shopping bags completely
  • Wash your reusable bags regularly. Not sure how? Here’s a guide to cleaning reusable bags
  • Place your reusable grocery bags at the front of the conveyer belt so the cashier knows you have them
  • Separate your reusable shopping bags so the cashier can easily grab each one as needed. Also, specify which bags are meant for what products (meat, dairy, etc)
  • Open folding reusable bags while you are waiting in line
  • Show respect to your cashier by saying please and thank-you, helping to bag, and ending your cell phone call
  • When putting groceries on the conveyor, group heavy/bulky things together to be packed into the bottoms of your reusable grocery bags. The lighter items can go on top until each reusable bag is full.

Reusable Grocery Bag Use Still Being Proposed

Green Issues, Plastic Bag Bans,

plastic_bag_birdThe start of the holiday season, and recent hype about the possibility of lead in reusable grocery bags, has done little to deter lawmakers from moving forward with proposals designed to increase reusable bag use.   Here are a few of note:

Little Rock, Arkansas

Sen. Denny Altes has prefiled a measure for next year’s legislative session that would prohibit larger stores from providing plastic grocery bags to customers. The Reusable Shopping Bag Act, would allow the use of paper bags and would require the sale of reusable grocery bags at stores of more than 10,000 square feet with gross annual sales of $2 million or more. Despite the proposed ban not extending to smaller stores, they too can support the bill by reselling printed reusable bags.

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Bulletin Bag Reusable Grocery Bags Routinely Tested for Lead Safety

Bulletin Bag Products

bulletinbagthunderRecently, some high-profile chains reported the existence of varying levels of lead in some of their reusable grocery bags, and some pulled their reusable shopping bags off the shelves because high levels of lead were detected in the ink used to imprint the bags or the reusable bags themselves. At about the same time, Senator Charles Schumer sent a letter (see below) to the Food and Drug Administration, urging the agency to investigate the issue.

Bulletin Bag [.com] works hard to earn our clients’ trust. Our ability to deliver high-quality reusable bags to you is enabled in part by the long-standing relationships we have with our factories. These factories monitor production and regularly test our bags to ensure compliance with the CPSC and CPSIA regarding lead levels.  Despite what you might have heard over the last few days, not all reusable bags contain lead, and you can rest assured that the reusable bags you purchase from Bulletin Bag [.com] will comply with all CPSC and CPSIA guidelines for safety.

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Reusable Grocery Bags Get Their Day in the USA

Green Issues, Promotion Ideas, , ,

31251They’re doing it in Europe. They’re doing it in Asia (Reusable Bag Day). And, they’re doing it in America.

The 13th Annual America Recycles Day is on November 15. This is the only nationally recognized day dedicated to encouraging people to recycle and buy recycled products. Last year, America Recycles Day featured 750 registered organizations conducting 2,375 events!

Why is this day so important? The amount of energy saved from recycling aluminum and steel cans, plastic PET and glass containers, newsprint and corrugated packaging in 2008 alone was equivalent to:

* The amount of electricity consumed by 17.8 million Americans in one year
* The amount of gasoline used in almost 11 million passenger automobiles in one year
* 7.9 percent of electricity generation from fossil fuels in the U.S. in one year

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Ready? Set? Bag Those Reusable Shopping Bags!

Green Issues

reusable_grocery_bagger_championshipsNow’s the time of year that grocery stores all over the country are digging deep to find its state’s best grocery bagger to represent it at the U.S. Best Bagger National Championship, held in February each year. State champs rise from huge chains and family-owned stores in every corner of the United States.

The proper bagging of groceries is an important part of the operation of a successful retail grocery business, and front-end employees have a major effect on how well a retailer serves the customer. This national competition is the culmination of contests all across the country.

The 2010 Best Bagger National Championship was markedly different: the event switched from paper and plastic to reusable grocery bags. This change was due to the popularity of reusable bags around the country.

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Turn Your Winter Green with Printed Reusable Bags

Promotion Ideas, Reusable Bag Tips,

It’s a great time to start planning for winter fundraisers, promotions and holiday gifting. Here are some ideas on how to use custom printed reusable grocery bags to green Mother Earth through the New Year. earth-day

Jumpstart retail sales by having customized reusable bags for sale (or free with purchase) in your store. Shoppers can use them to carry holiday gifts, and you can create an incentive to shop in your store with a reusable bag promotion. Try offering a percentage off when customers bring in your reusable bag, or offer a free reusable bag custom printed with your logo for a sale over a certain dollar amount.

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Best-selling Reusable Bags On Sale Through End of Year

Bulletin Bag Products, Promotion Ideas, , , , ,

If you’re reading this, you probably already know that reusable bags are popping up everywhere as an eco-friendly marketing vehicle. What better way to increase awareness of your organization than to put your branding on reusable grocery bags for everyone to see…over and over and over again?

So, if you’ve been on the fence about purchasing custom printed reusable grocery bags, we have the perfect opportunity for you: our two most popular reusable bags, the Big Thunder and Little Thunder, are on sale for the remainder of 2010! Made from durable, 100 GSM polypropylene, they feature wrap-around handles and roomy gussets (with bottom inserts for extra stability), and come in nine popular colors.

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Reusable Bag Day Signals Reusable Bags Are Here To Stay

Green Issues, Plastic Bag Bans,

maui2The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines has proclaimed every Wednesday as “Reusable Bag Day”. The move is meant to encourage the public to return to basics, to move away from their wasteful habits and help prevent environmental problems.

The announcement comes on the heels of a government-signed agreement with the Earthday Network Philippines and 12 supermarket chains to help reduce the use of plastic bags in the country. As part of Reusable Bag Day, no free plastic bags will be given to customers. Also expressing an interest in joining the government’s efforts are plastics manufacturers in that country.

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