Paper or Plastic? Neither!

Green living isn't just about one part of a person's life. It often encompasses everything an individual does, right down to the little things such as grocery shopping.
Consumers are starting to use their own reusable grocery bags, often made of cotton or other durable materials to eliminate the waste created by plastic and paper bags.
"It's a change of habit for the better, and it's the simplest thing you can do," Amanda Costa, co-president of the Enviro-Business society said.
Costa purchased her shopping bags for about a dollar each and she sometimes uses the free gift bags she has received from conferences. On April 22, Earth Day, e3 will be selling reusable grocery bags to get students involved in the trend.
"It's hard to remember at first, and I've left my bags in the car before and had to go back, but if you are around people who do it too, they can remind you," Costa said.
Erica Johnson, co-president of e3, reminds Costa to bring her bags because they are roommates who have both been using alternative bags when shopping for the past two years.
"Using a reusable grocery bag is the simplest lifestyle change that you can make that makes the biggest impact, before recycling even," Johnson said.
Last year, San Francisco lawmakers voted to require supermarkets and drugstores to replace traditional bags with biodegradable options, and while San Diego supermarkets aren't going to change their materials any time soon, some stores are changing policies to become more eco-friendly.
"It makes good business sense for the store because they probably incur a huge cost with all the paper and plastic materials," Costa said.
Windmill Farms, a locally owned independent grocery store, even pays customers who bring their own bagging materials. Shoppers recieve five cents back for each bag used in a transaction every day.
Grocery chain Trader Joe's tries a different approach -- a drawing for shoppers who bring their own bags, where prizes can be as much as a $25 in-store gift card or the grocery chain's own line of plastic bag alternatives.
Miles Hyman, manager of the Trader Joe's in Hillcrest, said he has seen a lot more people bring in their own bags since the incentives started.
"People are really conscious of it, and we have a lot of really good bags for sale here from 99 cents to $2.99 for insulated ones," Hyman said.
Even big-box stores are getting in on the trend: Wal-Mart unveiled its own reusable shopping bag made from 85 percent recycled materials for sale in its stores last year. Wal-Mart also offers to recycle the bags when their use has run out as a service to consumers.
IKEA has started charging customers 5 cents for plastic bags to discourage the unnecessary waste associated with their use.
"First and foremost, it makes sense for the environment, but the main point is that it's an easy habit to change and it makes sense," Costa said.


This article is also available on The Daily Aztec's Web site.