New Vocabulary Words with Sturdy EconoGreen Trash Bags

I am always on the lookout for ways to supplement the everyday items I can not seem to get away from, like petroleum based trash bags, with a more environmentally responsible option. EconoGreen Trash Bags deliver on function, environmental benefit and learning as they are tough enough to do the job and also taught me all about a new Green vocabulary word -- oxodegradable.

The box states “Built Tough” and they truly mean it. Sometimes flexible plastics created from 100% recycled material can become flimsy, but these bags passed my fingernail test and more! I held the black bag up to the light through my kitchen window and it looked no different than that of my normal black trash bags.

Jig-A-Loo, the parent company to EconoGreen, has figured out the ultimate secret when it comes to plastics and their decomposition. They claim that through a process called oxodegration the plastic will completely break down in about 2 years, and based on the box I believe it; inside the top is stamped a packing date.

They place a “unique agent” in the mix which causes the plastic to break down into smaller and smaller pieces once exposed to oxygen until it finally becomes a nutrient for microbes. All that is left behind is CO2, water and reusable biomass, no toxic residues.

The box of bags was shipped to me using very minimal packaging and the box which holds the bags is not only recyclable but it is created from 100% recycled materials and printed using veggie based inks. And the cost is reasonable for the type of bags; the large trash bags have an MSRP of about $6.00 which is well within normal range for 20 large trash bags.

My main concern is the unique agent additive. Nowhere could I find a description of exactly what the additive is. Similarly, there is no real information available on how it breaks down or what type of nutrient it becomes. I feel that these are vital facts to share as this is a completely new way of looking at Green plastics.

With all these things in mind I am granting a Three Leaf Rating to EconoGreen!

By enhancing your transparency on certain information about the ways your product breaks down, your leaf rating will skyrocket right up to a five due to the function and unique concept you have going Jig-A-Loo! ♥love♥

Ronnie Trash Wants Us to Put Our Trash in a Can

Sesame Street has long been a leader in teaching good lessons to everyone, kids and adults alike. Doing a quick search just on YouTube for 'Sesame Street environment' brought up hundreds of videos. This one, with a song sung to the tune of “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash, is a fantastic lesson for everyone as it explains that we all need to take care of our planet because we all live here. Hope you enjoy feeling like a kid again watching this!

Cleaning up the town, post Earth Day

Hey all, Melissa again...back so soon because I needed to share a little Earth Day-related bit before it got to be the 4th of July!

This past Saturday was my little burg's town cleanup day, held, as in the past, the weekend closest to Earth Day. I'd been raring to go on this since about January, hoping to rally whoever I could to get out there and pick up some of the detritus that collects in any town over time.

Because the event coincided with my kids' soccer practice -- the reason I didn't participate last year -- I decided to try to tackle the soccer field and playground that are part of our town park. Thanks to the parents and especially the kids who joined me and mine on a hot, sunny April Saturday to do a little bagging duty!



Signs to rally some support....








Samples of what we found (there was plenty more where this came from)


Citizens pitching in to clean up a place they care about




In the end, we didn't have quite the volume of stuff I had envisioned, but that's what happens when the trash you pick up is mostly cigarette butts (yiiiiigh!) and candy wrappers. All the same, we had fun collecting (lots of golf balls and a few baseballs, as well) and got to feel good about brightening up our park. Can't wait to see if there are photos from the efforts that went on around the rest of the town.

And even now, I find we're all so much more alert to the bits and pieces of castoffs that line the roadways that it's hard not to slam on the brakes and jump out to pick stuff up. So instead of the usual "Make every day Earth Day" closing (with which I totally agree, by the way!), I think maybe I'd say, "Make every day town cleanup day!"