FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Heather Groover
770-344-7181
Heather.Groover@politics.org
Gil Ziffer
850-509-7886
Gil@ziffberry.com
STATEWIDE PLASTIC BAG RECYCLING PROGRAM
LAUNCHES AT GEORGIA CAPITOL
‘A Bag’s Life’ Campaign Offers Education, Website, App
To Help Locate 750 Retail Drop-off Sites for Plastic Bags and Wraps Statewide
(Atlanta) – February 28, 2012 – Georgia today joined the “A Bag’s Life” recycling education
movement which helps consumers find nearly 750 grocery and retail store drop off sites for their
plastic bags and wraps statewide. Legislators, recyclers, retailers and government officials
gathered at the capitol to announce participation in the awareness campaign, which provides a
website (www.abagslife.com) with a zip code locator app and social media outreach.
Georgia Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Mike Beatty joined State Senator Ross
Tolleson and State Representative Lynn Smith, who each chair their legislative Natural Resources
Committees, and students from metro Atlanta schools in kicking off A Bag’s Life. Officers with
the Georgia Food Industry Association, the Georgia Recycling Coalition and Keep Georgia
Beautiful also spoke in favor of the public-private partnership.
A Bag’s Life, through quirky messaging like “Don’t treat me like trash” and “Gimme a second
chance,” encourages consumers to reduce, reuse and recycle their free grocery bags. It also
reminds people that other bags like those used for dry cleaning, newspapers and bread, as well as
wraps and films used on products like paper towels or bottled water also can be dropped off at
many retailers for recycling.
“While recycling plastic bags and wraps is a shared responsibility, retailers recognize they must
take a leadership role in the state’s recycling policies,” said Kathy Zuzava, president of the
Georgia Food Industry Association. “Most of our members already have established plastic bag
and wrap recycling in their stores. A Bag’s Life simply takes those efforts one step further by
making it easy for customers to locate the nearest recycling opportunity at their favorite local
retailer.”
A Bag’s Life • Page 2
Nationwide, plastic bag and wrap recycling is on the rise, reaching a record high of nearly 972
million pounds in 2010 — an increase of 50 percent since 2005 — according to a report released
last month by Moore Recycling Associates, Inc on behalf of the American Chemistry Council. In
the past five years, recycling of plastic film grew seven times faster than recycling overall,
according to EPA data.
“By taking the extra time to bring our bags and wraps back to the store to be recycled, we are
giving that bag a second chance to be made into something else like outdoor decking, park
benches, or even new bags,” said Gloria Hardegree, executive director of the Georgia Recycling
Coalition. “By remembering this simple step, we can make a significant difference in reusing and
recycling these valuable plastic resources.”
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.
“This program demonstrates what public and private groups can do when they work together,”
said Sarah Visser, executive director of Keep Georgia Beautiful. “Individually, if each one of us
takes this extra earth-friendly step to remember to recycle our bags, we can reduce litter in our
communities and yield tremendous results.”
About A Bag’s Life
A Bag’s Life is a public education 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 Georgia Beautiful, the Georgia
Recycling Coalition, the Georgia Food Industry Association, SP Recycling, Trex Company and
the American Chemistry Council. Participating statewide retailers include Kroger, Food Lion,
Publix, Harvey’s, Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse, Target, Walmart and JC Penney.
Additional Resources and Links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/abagslife
Twitter: http://twitter.com/abagslife
###