Edina Go Green, Edina, MN, USA

EGG is a local grass roots organization dedicated to making the City of Edina a leader in sustainability. Melody Chestler, Meg Davidson, Laura Davis, Aileen Foley, Louann Waddick, Mary Werbalowksy and Sarah Zarrin.

Egg Initiative #1: Reduce Consumer Use of Disposable Bag

• Made from fossil fuels, they account for 4% of oil production worldwide
• According to the EPA, 380 billion are thrown away in the U.S. annually
• The average U.S. family brings home 1,000 plastic bags every year and most end up in landfills.
• Plastic bags are one of the primary littered items on roads and sidewalks
• It takes approximately 1000 years for a plastic bag to break down in a landfill
• Only 1-3% of plastic bags are recycled

Single Use Paper Bag Facts

• Manufacturing uses chemicals, bleaches and dyes; uses 70% more air and creates 50 times more water pollution than making plastic bags does
• Manufacturing uses four times more energy per bag than making plastic bags
• Only 10-15% of paper bags are recycled
• It takes three tons of wood chips to make one ton of pulp

Reducing Single Use Disposable Bags Will Save Money for Businesses, Cities and Consumers
• Businesses will buy fewer disposable bags for their customers
• Less city waste is hauled away saving up to 0.17 per bag in disposal costs
• The cost of providing disposable bags will no longer be passed to consumers

Each reusable bag has the potential to eliminate up to 1,000 plastic bags in its lifetime!

** Programs Reducing Single Use Disposable Bags Do Work**

• In 2009, Ikea began charging just 0.05 per plastic bag and their use plunged a surprising 92 percent, from 70 million to 6 million. In 2010, Ikea plans to eliminate all single use bags
• In 2009, the Wedge Co-op in Minneapolis began offering a 0.10 per bag incentive for reusable bag use and has seen a 40% reduction in the use of paper bags. It does not offer single use plastic bags.
• China has banned the use of ultra-thin plastic bags. Businesses charge a fee for heavier plastic bags. The use of disposable plastic bags has dropped 66%.
• In Ireland, customers are charged 0.33 per bag causing disposable bag use to drop by 95%
• A bag fee to consumers ultimately encourages a lasting change in habit

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Egg Initiative #2 - Make Commercial Recycling Mandatory in Edina

Since 1989, Edina law has required only residential recycling of all paper, glass, plastic, aluminum foil and cans, and other metals. Students in all Edina Public Schools recycle. However:

• Business and industry comprise 75% of landfill waste
• Edina’s commercial sector has the greatest potential to increase recycling
• The City of Bloomington has had mandatory commercial recycling since 1987, as do thousands of other cities and counties across the country, including New York City

Businesses can save money by recycling because less disposable waste to be hauled lessening the fees paid to haulers.

Practical steps toward mandating commercial recycling:

• Develop a reasonable timeline for compliance
• Develop a handbook for businesses to use in developing recycling plans
• Provide suggestions on how to develop successful recycling programs
• Identify recycling centers, haulers and companies

Businesses in this community should be good stewards of the environment. Consumers are rapidly becoming more aware and want to support businesses that share their personal values.

Compliance must be ascertained. For example:

• Pittsburgh, CA requires businesses to submit a recycling plan with their annual business tax reports
• Chicago, IL requires businesses to provide evidence of their participation in recycling by showing hauling contracts
• Significant penalties for non-compliance are essential