California's Controversial Plastic Bag Ban

California is currently considering a plastic bag ban that would hopefully decrease much of the plastic waste in the Golden State.

Senate Bill 270 would ban the use of single use plastic bags at grocery stores, pharmacies and any convenience store with a liquor license issued by the state. All other businesses in the state would still be able to offer plastic bags to customers.

Supporters of the bill say that it would help to reduce the more than 14 billion single use bags utilized every year in California, but many say it's not far enough. Many say that the effects would be greatly limited because only a fraction of the bag waste is produced by the types of retailers affected. For example, 53,000 tons of plastic waste comes from bags distributed by restaurants in the state every year, and restaurants wouldn't be affected by the regulation.

So what do you think? Is even a small reduction in plastic bag waste a good thing, or should California scrap the bill and come up with one that would do more?

Los Angeles Bans Plastic Bags

In early January, the Los Angeles plastic bag ban went into effect. Although the law that made the plastic bags illegal at Los Angeles retailers was passed last June, many residents were unaware and surprised when they headed to their local stores.

Under the new law, plastic bags cannot be used in grocery stores. Supermarkets can offer paper bags, but at a cost of $.10 per bag. The goal is to get people to use reusable bags and reduce litter and waste in the Los Angeles area. Big box stores are not required to eliminate plastic bags as a part of the new rules.

If you're in the Los Angeles area and have found yourself plastic bag-less, check out our collection of plastic bag alternatives. Our Chico bags are meant for grocery shopping and are made from environmentally friendly recycled plastic fabric.

      Chico Bag rePETe, Hemp & Mesh Reusable Produce Bags - Set of 3

                               Chico Bag Hobo RePETe in Turkish Blue

Introducing New Styles in the Lunchskins Line

Lunchskins are a unique plastic sandwich bag alternative that is perfect for kids and grownups alike. The fabric is the same type used by the best bakeries in Europe for keeping pastries and breads fresh. The patterning on each Lunchskins bag is vibrant and colorful, and we've recently added several new designs to our inventory. Here's a look at the three sizes of Lunchskins and our new patterns:

- Lunchskins Snack Bags - The snack bags are rectangular in shape and 6-1/2 inches by 3-1/2 inches in size. They have a Velcro flap for a secure seal, and they are dishwasher safe. The bag below is the Aqua Dot. We also added Navy Blue Circuit, Green Dot, Red Dot and Green Stripe to our lineup.

- Lunchskins Sandwich Bags - Square in shape, the Lunchskins Sandwich Bags have the Velcro closure and the same dishwasher-safe fabric as the snack bags. They measure 6-1/2 inches by 6-1/2 inches in size and are handmade like the entire Lunchskins collection. Shown below is the fun Navy Shark pattern. You can also check out our new Red Bird, Red Apple, Mango Slices, Green Pear, Green Lizard, Green Bud and Black Zebra designs.

- Lunchskins Sub Bag - Big enough to hold a 6-inch hoagie the sub bag is 8 inches by 7 inches in size and features all of the same details as the snack and sandwich bags. This one is the Red Mosaic. We also added a Brown Horizontal Stripe and a Green Vertical Stripe to Paperless Kitchen.

Which Lunchskins bag is your fave? Leave us a note in the "Comments" section to tell us about it!

Tons of New Ways to Style Your Green Lunchbox with eco Ditty

eco Ditty makes lunch greener by allowing you to ditch plastic bags and use a reusable, dishwasher-safe cotton lunch bag in its place. We've carried this brand since the launch of our store and now have expanded our collection with many new styles. Here's a look at the three different sizes of eco Ditty lunch bags available and some of the new designer colors.

eco Ditty Lunch Bag - Brand new to the eco Ditty collection is the lunch bag, which is 10 inches by 10 inches by 4 inches in size. It's big enough to take the place of paper lunch bags and has a drawstring top. Check it out in the Fields of Pink shown here and in the Aboriginal print Eyes of the World and the Spiral Let It Grow.

                                       eco Ditty Fields of Pink Lunch Bag

eco Ditty Sandwich Bag - The perfect place to put a PB&J, the sandwich bag is 7-1/4 inches by 6 inches in size. It has an unbleached and undyed inner liner and fastens with a hook and eye closure. The style shown is the Fields of Honey. There's also a red and green Ginkgo, a green spiral Let it Grow, a white bubble Morning Dew, solid Powder Blue, solid Spring Green and a grass and clover print in Aqua and in Black and White new in the collection.

                           eco Ditty Fields of Honey Sandwich Bag

eco Ditty Snack Bag - Rounding out the collection is the eco Ditty Snack Bag, which is 4 inches by 6 inches in size. Like the sandwich bag, it has a hook and eye closure and an unbleached liner. We have this bag in the Morning Dew print shown here and in three new colors that you can check out in the eco Ditty collection.

                                       eco Ditty Morning Dew Snack Bag

Which new eco Ditty print is your favorite? Let us known in the "Comments" section.

Paperless Kitchen Tested: Snack Time rePETe

The ChicoBag  collection is one of our newest lines here at Paperless Kitchen. Recently, I put the Snack Time rePETe snack bags to the test to see how they worked.

The Basics:

Snack Time rePETe snack bags are made of recycled plastic polyester fabric. They have a sort of slippery, satiny feel. The bag has a fold-over flap with Velcro and a top closure. There is also a piece of sticky Velcro on the tab and two of the fuzzy Velcro tabs on the bag. At first, I wasn’t sure why there were two, but when I started playing with it more, I realized that the two tabs allow you to adjust the size.

The Test:

I’ll admit it. When I first looked at the snack bag, I thought, “This is going to leak,” but to my surprise it didn’t. I tried tortilla chips, a sandwich and even raisins inside without any leakage. With the sandwich, the bread didn’t get stale even after being in the bag for a few hours in the fridge. I did have a little trouble getting it out of the bag neatly, so I would say this bag is more for snacks.

The Wash:

The Snack Time rePETe snack bags are machine-washable. I laundered mine, and you couldn’t tell that it had been washed. It looked as good as new.

The Takeaway:

I would definitely use this bag to take along snacks on an airplane or a road trip, and it would be useful for the office or school. As I explained, it’s really not meant to be a sandwich bag, so stick to putting your munchies in it.