What s in Your Bag A Guide to Green

What’s in Your Bag? A Guide to Green Shopping By Michael Patton Executive Director The Metropolitan Environmental Trust Tulsa, Oklahoma Texas Recycling & Sustainability Conference August 2007

Buy Local Buy Recycled Packaging Buy Recyclable Packaging Buy Reduced Packaging

Every dollar I spend is a vote for the environment. People want to be better shoppers.

Package Material Storage Shipping Reuse Disposal

Weekly Grocery Spending (Food Only) Men living alone - $60 Women living alone - $50 Elderly - $45 With children - $31 With young children – $28 Source: USDA

Weekly Spending by Ethnicity White - $41. 67 Black - $32. 50 Hispanic - $32. 50 Source: USDA

Produce Aisle

Packaging by Mother Nature Compostable Fair trade and country of origin & buy local when available

What is Organic? Organic food must be produced without the use of sewer-sludge fertilizers, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and irradiation. A variety of agricultural products can be produced organically, including produce, grains, meat, dairy, eggs and processed food products.

Average Annual Expenditure Fruits and Vegetables 9. 7% of food budget is spent on fruits and vegetables Fresh fruits 3. 23% Fresh vegetables 3. 17% Processed fruits 1. 9% Processed vegetables 1. 42% Food Institute analysis based on Bureau of Labor statistics

Baskets, Bags and Trays Bananas and Banana Bread

Meat & Dairy Aisle

Resealable Bag Fresh, Frozen or Canned

Average Annual Expenditure Meat, Poultry, Fish & Eggs Food Institute analysis based on Bureau of Labor statistics 15 percent of American’s total food budget is spent on meat, poultry, fish & eggs.

Use a meal planner to reduce waste.

Paper or cardboard vs Polystyrene egg cartons

Buying in the deli allows for portion control Paperboard milk cartons vs Plastic milk jugs Natural vs. Dyed containers

Average Annual Expenditure on Dairy Products Food Institute analysis based on Bureau of Labor statistics Americans spend 6. 42% of their food budget on milk, cream and other dairy products.

Bottle Grade Plastics 94 percent of plastic bottles are #1 or #2 vs Plastic tubs

Cereal Aisle

Cereal Boxes as Art

Box is Pure Marketing The One Box we Read

Bag inside a Box vs Bag only 100% Recycled Rising Post-Consumer Content

Beverage Aisle

Total U. S. Beverage Consumption (2005) Carbonated Soft Drinks 28. 3% Bottled Water 10. 7% Milk 10. 9% Coffee 9. 0% Beer 11. 7% Fruit Beverages 4. 7% Sports Drinks 2. 3% Tea 3. 8% Wine 1. 2% Distilled Spirits 0. 7% All Others 15. 3% Source – American Beverage Association

Real Choices Glass Plastic Aluminum

53 million plastic bottles Are thrown in the trash every day. In Tulsa, the average household buys 225 bottles of water per year. Of those, 16 are recycled.

Shipping and Distribution State Deposit Laws

States with Bottle Bills n California n Maine n Connecticut n Massachusetts n Delaware n Michigan n Hawaii n New n Iowa York n Oregon n Vermont

States Considering Legislation n Arkansas n Illinois n Maryland n North Carolina n South Carolina n Tennessee n West Virginia n Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Legislation Senate Bill 1035 establishes a five-cent levy on containers holding liquids, including carbonated soft drinks, beer, sports drinks, tea, and all forms of water. Revenues would be deposited into a state-administered Returnable Beverage Container Fund and used to compensate deposit claims submitted by beverage distributors and redemption centers. If approved, distributors would be responsible for paying the state a monthly fee for all containers manufactured in or imported into the Commonwealth. Conversely, the state would be responsible for paying redemption centers a two-cent handling fee for each unredeemed beverage container.

Plastic Bottle Recycling n n The first plastic bottle was recycled in 1977 Recycling a ton of PET bottles saves 7. 4 cubic yards of landfill space. The weight of a two liter bottle is 48 grams, down 29 percent from 1978. Number of PET bottles per pound: n n 16 oz – 18 bottles per pound 2 liter – 9 bottles per pound Source: NAPCOR

Snack Aisle

Chips vs Crackers Give Piece a Chance

Paper Product Aisle

Virgin vs Post Consumer

Grades of Paper Recycle-phobia Quality of Products

Around 45% of the paper Americans use each year (over 47 million tons) is recovered for recycling. This is made into a wide variety of goods such as newsprint, boxes and office paper, paper towels, tissue products, insulation, cereal boxes, molded packaging, hydro-mulch, gypsum wallboard - even compost and kitty litter! 80% of U. S. papermakers use some recovered fiber in manufacturing, and nearly 200 mills use ONLY recovered paper for their fiber.

Cleaning/Household Products

Beware of words like ‘toxic, ’ ‘hazardous’ and ‘caution’ on label Find safer alternatives Buy Concentrated?

Natural Drain Cleaner Recipe: 1/2 cup baking soda 1/2 cup white vinegar Boiling water Pour baking soda down the drain. Add white vinegar and cover the drain, if possible. Let set for 5 minutes. Then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain.

At the Checkout Paper vs. Plastic

Michael Patton The Metropolitan Environmental Trust Met. Recycle. com Recyclemichael@yahoo. com