The ‘Trash Tutorial’ column in the ProJo — written by Sarah Kite, director of recycling services at the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) — is archived at the the RIRRC website along with other relevant columns.
In yesterday’s column, Kite took up the subject of plastic bags . . . and other plasticky things. First, Rhode Islands’ ReStore law states that the larger retail establishments of goods and food “must provide plastic bag recycling to the public.” You can not recycle your plastic bags in your home recycling bin; you have to take them back to the store.
Recent additions to the plastic bag recycling program include: bubble wrap, pellet bags, cereal box liners, newspaper sleeves, dry cleaner film, bread and bagel bags, shrink wrap, pallet wrap, and airpacks (those air-filled bladders used in shipping — pop ’em first).
And overdue kudos to the Barrington Town Council for passing an ordinance banning the use of plastic bags (ecoRI News). It includes a sunset provision and will thus expire in two years; but by then everyone will have adapted. Leaving a tote or two in your car is so easy and then you get to be that smug bastard in the check-out line. Everybody loves that guy. The Shaw’s in Barrington didn’t wait to be told; they just went ahead and pulled the plastic check-out bags from the store on their own initiative. Your turn Eastside Marketplace.
and then there’s Stop And Shop, who just ended their rebate program for when you bring in your own canvas shopping bags – for shame!