“A Bag’s Life” Creates Buzz at America Recycles Day at VA Capitol

(Richmond, VA) – Nov. 15, 2010 – A statewide plastic bag recycling awareness campaign in Virginia called A Bag’s Life, which includes an interactive and educational website (www.abagslife.com/VA), mobile app with nearly 800 drop-off sites by zip code, and video contest was launched today during America Recycles Day at the Capitol. Keep Virginia Beautiful (KVB),Virginia Retail Federation (VRF), Virginia Recycling Association (VRA), American Chemistry Council (ACC), VA Department of Environmental Quality, and the Office of the Secretary of Natural Resources were among those in the public-private partnership who kicked off the program.

A Bag’s Life, through quirky messaging like “Don’t treat me like trash,” and “Gimme a second chance,” encourages Virginians to reduce, recycle and reuse their free grocery bags.  It also reminds consumers that other bags like those used for dry cleaning, newspapers and bread, as well as wraps used on products like paper towels or bottled water also can be dropped off at many retailers for recycling.

“America Recycles Day has been set aside as a day when we individually pledge to take extra steps to reduce waste and make recycling work at home and in our communities,” said Mike Baum, executive director of Keep Virginia Beautiful. “By taking the extra time to bring grocery bags back to the store to be recycled, people are giving that bag a second chance to be made into something else like outdoor decking, park benches, or even new bags. It’s a simple earth-friendly practice that can yield tremendous results.”

Margaret Ballard, vice president, Advocacy for the Virginia Retail Federation, noted that while plastic bag recycling programs are not new to Virginia, a statewide educational initiative that partners public and private groups toward the common goal of recycling plastic bags is unique. The VRF was instrumental in obtaining state funding for the first Plastic Bag Recycling project in the state — in Isle of Wight County.  Isle be Green was kicked off in September 2009, and to date more than 1 million plastic bags have been recycled in the county. Nationwide, plastic bag recycling is on the rise, with more than 832 million pounds recycled in 2008.

“Retailers across Virginia are well aware of the impact plastic bag litter has on our roadways and agricultural environment in Virginia,” said Margaret Ballard, vice president, Advocacy, Virginia Retail Federation.  “That’s why nearly 800 retail stores are offering their locations to consumers as drop-off sites to recycle these bags. Recycling not only helps clean up plastic bag litter, but supports economic resources for our Virginia-based partners like Trex, the Winchester-based manufacturer of plastic building materials.”

Trex joined in the A Bag’s Life Virginia launch, as well as Hilex Poly, a plastic bag manufacturer with facilities in Richmond.

A Bag’s Life also includes a video contest and social networking element to fire up support for recycling.  The easy to use recycle location finder lists the nearest drop-off points and the Google Maps option makes recycling plastic bags and wraps easier than ever before. The plastic bag icon on the website is designed to take on a life of its own, smiling when it’s happy, frowning when it’s not. Website copy suggests that individuals should step up and do their part to address litter and waste rather than blame the bag if it’s not being recycled or reused.

About A Bag’s Life in Virginia

A Bag’s Life is a public educational campaign that unites non-profits, business, community and government organizations around the common goal of promoting the three R’s as they relate to plastic bags — reduce, reuse and recycle.  Partners include: Keep Virginia Beautiful, the Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Retail Federation, Virginia Recycling Association, Trex and the American Chemistry Council. For more information visit www.abagslife.com/VA

Additional Resources and Links:

Bag Blog & News: http://www.abagslife.com/VA/news

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/A-Bags-Life

Twitter: http://twitter.com/abagslife/VA