New Ground

Plastic Bags

Did you know that plastic is a petroleum-based product? I didn’t until a couple of years ago. Here in Winona, recycling is generally pretty easy. No need to sort cans, glass, and bottles. But one thing that the recyclers won’t take is plastic bags

Don’t they pile up?

So your garbage bag looks half full of your plastic bags. What a waste!

We’ve found that Wal-Mart and Hi-Vee here in Winona will take plastic bags for recycling. They both have big bins in their foyers where you can dump your plastic bags. I don’t know what they do with them, but I hope they have a way to recycle them.

A few years ago I worked part-time at a produce outlet. We had one customer that never wanted his items bagged. When I asked him why he joked, “Because I don’t want the mall plants to become extinct.”

Back then it was funny, but with gas prices today over $4.00 at a national average, throwing out good petroleum is just throwing away good cents (yup-pun intended)! If they’re making new bags out of old bags, it saves a little on petrol… and in this economy every penny counts, especially at the pump!

Even if it doesn’t add up in gas, it does make a dent in my garbage. A little less waste from me—a little more room at the landfall.

Recycle your plastic bags. (There must be a Wal Mart somewhere near you!) It’s another little small step you can take for yourself and for the environment.