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10 Mar 03 - Greenbag; copiers; fluorescents; colleges; paper; cars; time ** WASTE PREVENTION FORUM ** -- A project of the National Waste Prevention Coalition -------- Forum archive: http://www.reuses.com/nwpcarchive -------------------- Excerpted from a 3/5/03 article in the Limerick (Ireland) Post: REUSABLE BAG, PLASTIC BAG LEVY MAKE IRELAND GREENER Customer demand for plastic bags in one of Limerick's newest supermarkets has dropped by more than 90 per cent in just 12 months. The manager of the Superquinn store in Limerick, Niall Brougham, says the Superquinn chain's introduction of its reusable Greenbag, coupled with the Government levy on plastic bags, has resulted in a drop of more than 90 per cent in the demand, and use, of plastic bags at the chain's new store in the Castletroy Shopping Centre. Such a figure is repeated through Superquinn's 19 supermarkets in Ireland, with an overall drop in plastic bag usage of 96 per cent, meaning customers used 70 million less plastic bags in the 12 months since March 2002, compared to the previous 12 months. The supermarket chain has sold 2.7 million of its reusable Greenbag, a design that was introduced in April 1997, on a trial basis. The current design was introduced in October 2001, five months before the introduction of the levy on plastic bags. The Ireland government introduced a 15-cent (Euro) levy on plastic bags on March 4 last year, with all monies collected from the levy being put towards environmental projects such as new bring-back recycling centres. The introduction of the Superquinn Greenbag "has reduced time spent at checkouts by 15 per cent," said Brougham, adding, "Other retailers in Ireland and abroad continue to copy our bag design." Note: For more information on Superquinn's Greenbag, see this web page: http://www.superquinn.ie/whats_new/green_bag.html A February 2002 Superquinn press release on their website describes the approach that the company took to the government's plastic bag levy: To help people make the transition from plastic bags, Superquinn has made drastic improvements in the way customers' purchases are packed. A project, carried out over several months, involving customers, staff, industrial engineers and designers, analyzed shopping patterns and packing methods. Volunteer customers had their shopping trips monitored right through to their kitchen cupboards. The result is the lightweight reusable bag (the current version of the Greenbag), costing one euro. According to Feargal Quinn, Superquinn Executive Chairman, the saving in time for the customer and the company is enormous. "We see no reluctance among customers to switch from plastic bags provided they are given an alternative," said Quinn. "The majority of people want a clean and safe environment and the grocery trade should play its part in helping to reduce the damaging impact of plastic on the environment." -------------------- From Brian Foran, California Integrated Waste Management Board, Waste Prevention & Market Development Division, Sacramento, CA, responding to the 3/4/03 query asking for examples of copy machines that work well with once-used paper: Here at the California Integrated Waste Management Board, I've been overseeing the use of "once used" paper in our Division copiers for over 10 years. We've had at least three brands of copiers during that time - Savin, Pitney-Bowes, and Xerox - and I don't recall any of them having a problem using once-used paper. The key, of course, is to screen the paper carefully for staples, folds, and other flaws that will cause the paper to jam. Since once-used paper is already printed on one side, the copier only needs to run it through in one direction, which is usually a fairly easy task unless there is a serious crimp in the paper. I suggest that once you've screened your once-used paper for use in your copier, you store it for a few days with a couple of reams of new paper (or another heavy object) on top of it to smooth out the wrinkles, thus minimizing the likelihood of jamming in your copier. E-mail: bforan [ AT ] CIWMB [ DOT ] ca [ DOT ] gov -------------------- From Dwight Mercer, waste diversion program, City of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada: Doug Humphreys from IPSCO Steel (a steel plant in western Canada) is looking for information on fluorescent bulbs that do not have Mercury (or extremely low levels) AND ARE ALSO low energy consumers. Any information or contacts would be appreciated. Thanks. Please reply to Doug Humphreys at: dhumphreys ( A T ) ipsco ( D O T ) com -------------------- Link to information on a conference on "Building and Operating Sustainable College and University Campuses in the 21st Century": http://www.cce.csus.edu/cts/merced This conference will be held April 28-29, 2003, in Modesto, California. It is being presented by the University of California at Merced (UC Merced), in association with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to the website, UC Merced is the first major research institution to be built in the 21st century. It is the 10th campus within the University of California system. UC Merced officials say they are committed to integrating environmental stewardship into the design, construction and operation of the Merced campus, and to providing a model for future development in the Central Valley. The university is hosting the conference to attract leaders in sustainability to discuss the latest developments in sustainable practices and opportunities at higher educational institutions. -------------------- Link to a Conservatree web page with information on a major campaign to develop an environmentally and socially sustainable paper production system (forwarded by Gretchen Brewer): http://www.conservatree.com/paper/Choose/commonvision.shtml -------------------- Link to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy website with information on the "greenest" and "meanest" 2003-model vehicles (first seen in the New York Times): http://www.greenercars.com/bestof.html -------------------- Link to the March 2003 newsletter for "Take Back Your Time" day (forwarded by Marcia Rutan): http://www.timeday.org/news Scroll all the way down to see the whole newsletter. The first Take Back Your Time Day is scheduled for October 24, 2003. According to the organizers of this effort, overwork and the lack of time contribute to over-consumption and waste, among many other problems. - end -