Arcata bags

This is a research project in partnership between Engr308 Technology and the Environment and the Humboldt Scrap 501(c)3, during Fall 2012, to compare the impacts of single use plastic bags, paper bags, store bought reusable bags, and DIY reusable bags in Arcata, Humboldt County, California.

In Fall 2010, Engineering 308 partnered with the City of Arcata to research the impacts of single use plastic bags. The results at Arcata plastic bags helped to educate arguments over the merits of a single use plastic bag ban. This article gives more background.

Teams

Single use

Team: Enter team names with links to user pages, e.g. Lonny Grafman

Objective: State the objective of your part of the project, e.g. The objective is to determine the energy, carbon, money and trash impacts of single use plastic bags.

DIY

Team: Enter team names with links to user pages, e.g. Lonny Grafman

Objective: State the objective of your part of the project, e.g. The objective is to determine the energy, carbon, money and trash impacts of single use plastic bags.

Paper Bags

Team: Enter team names with links to user pages, e.g. Lonny Grafman

Objective: State the objective of your part of the project, e.g. The objective is to determine the energy, carbon, money and trash impacts of single use plastic bags.

Store Bought

Team: Enter team names with links to user pages, e.g. Lonny Grafman

Objective: State the objective of your part of the project, e.g. The objective is to determine the energy, carbon, money and trash impacts of single use plastic bags.

Meta

Team: Enter team names with links to user pages, e.g. Lonny Grafman

Objective: State the objective of your part of the project, e.g. The objective is to determine the energy, carbon, money and trash impacts of single use plastic bags.

Research

Single Use

DIY

• The Lisbon Connection, Sandra Guerreiro & her wonderful designs by reusing plastic bags
  • Sandra's projects are attempting to make something attractive with old grocery bags

• Video:How to Make a Reusable Grocery Bag, Making a reusable bag from fused grocery bags
  • Julie Edmond demonstrates how to fuse old grocery bags with an iron to make a reusable grocery bag

• http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2009/08/14/recycled-plastic-bag-shell-purse/

• http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-your-own-plastic-tote-bag-from-recycled-plast/

• http://www.instructables.com/id/Fusing-Plastic-Bags-the-eclipse-way/

• http://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-basket-out-of-plastic-bags/step4/Braiding-methods/

• http://www.plasticbagcrafts.com/make-plarn/

Paper Bags

• Research source, e.g., http://www.humboldt.edu, a book title, or even an interview
  • Description (e.g., Humboldt has information on the numbers of plastic bags used by students, or 36,000 plastic bags/year by students, or "Quote.")
• Research source, e.g., http://www.humboldt.edu, The Big Book of Plastic Bags, or even an interview
  • Description (e.g., Big Book of Plastic Bags lists plastic types and the history of the popularity plastic bags.)

Store Bought

Meta

• Plastic bag programs
  • This table lists existing plastic bag programs and its location, year, summary of program type, brief results, and city size.

References