"recycle" news and stories

Biobags are storage bags made from completely natural and biodegradable materials. Although they resemble plastic bags, they are made from cornstarch - and even the corn is certified as non-GMO. The material used to make them is actually a "bioplastic" called Mater-Bi, which is made by an Italian company that specializes in finding alternatives to petroleum-based plastics.

Biobags allow the produce (or anything else) placed inside them to “breathe”, so heat and moisture will be wicked away, reducing the chance of bacterial buildup and even keeping produce fresh longer. It will also reduce the odors from trash and other waste products. The bags, if placed in a compost pile, will break down completely within 10-45 days, and will achieve the same result, albeit at a somewhat slower rate, in a natural setting. This means that they're great for taking along as storage on picnics and camping trips in addition to home use, just in case you lose track of any bags while you're out in the woods.

The bags are available online and come in a variety of sizes, including everything from grocery bags (pictured) to trash can liners to doggie bags.

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Everyone needs to grocery shop at some point, fueling the continuing desire to live, even if you're not a big fan of doing your own cooking. Grocery stores have their own standards for packing bags based upon how to enable your foods to travel well: cold items with cold items, produce in one bag, don't cram too much in. The last rule is the one that gets tricky because sometimes it seems like you end up with 10 bags for 10 items when you're leaving the store. It could be more, if some of the plastic ones are doubled-bagged. Recycling the paper and plastic bags is an excellent idea, but switching to canvas grocery bags is an even better one. They are reusable, so they help cut down on waste, and many stores will even give you a per-bag discount for bringing them in! The bags can be purchased at many supermarkets, as well as being available online, and will pay for themselves in a few uses. They usually cost from $7-12.

Starbucks is in the process of replacing their current cups with cups made of 10% recycled paper and their heat-insulating cup sleeves are already made of recycled paper, but the company may soon have a new, environmentally-friendly option. A new company based in the Seattle Area, MicroGreen Polymers, says that it has developed a way to make insulated coffee cups out of recycled plastic bottles. Not only does the company believe that their cups, which are less than a year away from full commercial production, will be cheaper than the more traditional paper cups, but the production process creates no harmful gasses. The cups are created by infusing plastic with tiny air bubbles, creating an air cushion within the material of the cup to protect your hand from the heat. Because there is less physical material in the cups, the plastic from one bottle can be used to make five to seven 12-ounce coffee cups. MicroGreen Polymers has signed a development agreement with Reynolds Food Packaging, so it may not be long before a new wave of eco-friendly materials hit the stores.

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