Not Your Average Bag Lady

Cross posted at Bird on a Wire...

A few weeks ago, I posted that I wanted to make a Bag Monster costume like the one Chico Bags created in order to raise awareness of the environmental impact of plastic bags. Well, turns out I didn't have to make one after all. Chico Bags let me borrow one of theirs!

The Bag Monster suit is constructed from 500 plastic bags. That is the average number of bags each American uses each year!


Last Friday I suited up and went down to Tom Lee Park. It didn't take long for me to start drawing attention. (A few people thought I was a giant chicken!) The fact that I had a camera crew with me made me look even more intriguing. Lots of people came over to ask what we were doing which allowed me to talk at length about reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic bags. It was actually really fun.

The suit itself is really heavy and HOT! I had hoped to wear it trick or treating, but it's pretty hard to even walk in it. We decided to shoot a piece for Memphis Energized. It will have footage of my visit to the park as well as tips for reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic bags.

In case you weren't among the few who got to hear me talk shop at Tom Lee, and you can't wait until the end of the month to see the spot we did for Memphis Energized, here are some things to think about:

Reducing
BYOB--Bring Your Own Bag! Chico Bags are especially awesome because they fit in your purse, can hold a lot of stuff, and are inexpensive. But these days there are a lot of options when it comes to sporting your own bag. Many stores sell their own bags, as do websites, and styles, colors, and sizes run the gamut.

Reusing
The reason most people have a bag monster of their own at home is because sometimes those little plastic bags come in handy. As much as I try to avoid getting plastic bags at stores, I still end up with some at home. I use them to line smaller trash cans, clean out the litter box, pick up dog poop, etc. (Plastic bags can also be turned into art!)

Recycle
I've blogged before about recycling plastic bags at Schnuck's. This is a great way to get rid of not only grocery bags, but all of the other plastic bags that are used with other products, like bread, newspapers, etc. Kroger and other stores like Wal-Mart also offer recycling, but I believe it is only for their own plastic bags. If you shop at these stores often, then just keep your bags sorted.

The best news of all though is that all #2 plastic bags can be recycled through the City of Memphis' curbside recycling program. BUT they must be stuffed inside of another hard plastic #2 container. (Think laundry detergent, cat food, coffee, etc.) Most grocery bags are #2 and are clearly labeled. So get a nice #2 container, stuff your bag monster in it, and recycle it at home!