Eco Friendly Shopping Bags

Chicago may put a lid on latest eco-trend

CHICAGO - Just as Chicago consumers get the hang of reusable grocery bags, a new movement has sprouted to make local grocery shopping even greener: reusable containers.

Called BYOC - bring your own container - by its fans, the process involves carrying glass jars and bottles, plastic tubs, and even cloth bags to the market to fill with bulk foods. To eco-conscious consumers, who can already shop this way elsewhere in the U.S., the practice reduces waste, avoids advertising, reuses resources, facilitates the purchase of whole foods and saves money.

But to Chicago's Department of Public Health, the practice also can mean danger and potential liability if someone gets sick from cross-contamination.

"We don't ... allow folks to bring in their own containers to restaurants, delis or any other place, for that matter," said Cort Lohff, medical director for environmental health at the Chicago Department of Public Health. "We are worried about people bringing in containers that are not cleaned very well and then contaminating any surface that they might touch with that."

Lohff said his objection is based on a section of the city's municipal code that states: "All food shall be protected from contamination ... and so shall all food equipment," including containers.

Lauren Yucan, who opened Real Naked Foods in Chicago's Wicker Park this spring with BYOC as its foundation, said she is aware of the city's stance but has talked with the local inspector and is hoping the cleanliness of her store and supportive customers will win over the city.

"People in the neighborhood have been overwhelmingly receptive to the concept of BYOC," said Yucan, who was inspired by a popular BYOC store in London called Unpackaged. "(Before I started), a lot of people said, 'Oh, what about contamination?' But I told them they should be more worried about the chemicals, additives, preservatives and carcinogens in their foods than someone possibly sneezing near the dry oats. I think that contamination (from bulk food dispensers) is the least of your concerns when you are talking about healthful foods."

On a recent afternoon, stroller-pushing moms and curious shoppers glided through the shop, eyeing baskets of organic produce, containers of fair-trade coffee, gravity bins of organic grains, urns of extra-virgin olive oil and tanks of eco-friendly household cleaners. Next to the bulk bins, a dozen empty jars were for purchase (for $1.25 to $1.50) by those who didn't bring containers. Yucan also offers biodegradable plastic bags that most customers used on this visit, though many vowed to come back with jars next time in order to get a 25-cent discount.

Create An Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle With Recycled Bags ...

Nowadays, an increasing number of people have grown to be extremely environment conscious. And good thing though that we now have modern day alternatives that promote each of our eco-friendly efforts. There are a number of such efforts that are being used these days.

Due to the modern day concerns about our environment, many people have chosen to implement the use of sacks and / or bags that are reusable. Because being eco-friendly has become a big concern all over the world, a constantly increasing number of individuals are making certain that they re-use their shopping bags for example, instead of buying a brand new bag or sack.

The concept behind these types of eco promotional bags is that people will make use of these bags several times without having to ask for or purchase any more plastic or paper bags or sacks from the supermarket when you are out to purchase a few things. And it is not only that these sacks happen to be environmentally friendly, they may also be helpful to the consumers when it comes to carrying or using lesser quantities of sacks they would carry back to their own homes or wherever it is they go.

Just what had actually started this demand for reusable sacks and even reusable water bottles has been the growing concern about our deteriorating environment. Global warming, anyone? According to research, it was in the latter part of the 1990′s and early year 2000 when numerous individuals became more environmentally concerned. And as a response to this sort of increasing demand for environment friendly goods, manufacturers and organizations began to make an effort into developing electric (or hybrid) vehicles, organic cleaning products, and began promoting the use of recycled paper napkins far more than ever.

And as a result of this demand from consumers that companies need to have eco-friendly products, supermarkets, grocery stores and other retail stores followed suit and began to offer reusable grocery bags . These sacks have become available in nearly any store these days and are more utilized as opposed to paper or non-reusable plastic bags. You need to make sure of course, that these bags that you use need to be cleaned regularly. You need to keep your family and yourself healthy whilst being eco-friendly. Also, these recycled bags can be extremely helpful since they can typically hold more than what paper or plastic bags can hold, so there’s really no reason why they shouldn’t be considered.

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