Shoppers in Brownsville, TX, should start investing in reusable shopping bags. Starting Jan. 5, most stores will be banned from using plastic bags and people will be charged an extra dollar for every transaction in which they use plastic bags. [More]
paper or plastic
How Many Ways Are There To Reuse A Plastic Shopping Bag?
By 7.30.10
While the debate rages about the merits of reusable grocery bags vs. plastic shopping bags, stores like Walgreens are pushing the many ways shoppers can reuse plastic bags with this handy list printed on the bag’s side. [More]
Are Reusable Grocery Bags Really Icky Bacteria Farms?
By 7.23.10
You may recall late last month when wrote about a study that purported to find some nasty bacteria being harbored in the fabric of reusable, cloth shopping bags. While we just said this means y’all should wash your bags more frequently, our science-minded siblings at Consumer Reports decided to take a closer look at the study itself. [More]
Walmart Testing Plastic Bag-Less Stores In California
By 6.15.10
When we posted the seemingly simple question last week to Consumerist readers of whether or not plastic shopping bags should be banned, we expected some heated discussion. But even we were surprised to see just how heated — 326 comments at last count! And while we we’ve been busy chatting about the pros and cons, Walmart has been quietly testing a no single-use bag policy at a handful of stores in California. [More]
Should Plastic Shopping Bags Be Banned?
By 6.6.10
There’s a growing movement in the United States, especially in coastal communities, to curb the use of plastic shopping bags. In fact, both San Francisco and North Carolina’s Outer Banks are among those communities that have already passed laws forbidding plastic bags. A statewide ban made it to the State Assembly level in California and at least one politician in Seattle is pushing for an end to their use. [More]
D.C. Has Customers Pay For Grocery Bags, Law Cuts Down On Waste
By 3.12.10
A Washington, D.C. law mandates shoppers shell out a nickel for each grocery bag they use, and the regulation has caused people to stop taking as many unnecessary bags and reduced waste, the Baltimore Sun reports. [More]
Yes, New York City Cabs Take Credit Cards
By 12.15.07
New York taxi drivers have resigned themselves to a fate with credit cards, according to a New York Times investigation. Cabbies struck twice this year to protest regulations forcing them to accept credit of all stripes. To see if cabbies are following the new rules, the Times asked five reporters to hop in twenty cabs each with one question: “I’ve only got a credit card, is that O.K.?”
