In the ongoing discussions of our meetings, we began to hear complaints from food pantry coordinators about the number of plastic bags (typically black, t-shirt style bags) littering neighborhoods just beyond their pantry doors. Food pantries are in constant need of this commonly disposable resource; many coordinators take money from their own pockets to purchase them.

Purpose

1. Neighborhood and Ecological Concerns

The use of disposable bags (plastic or paper) by our Emergency Food Programs has a significantly detrimental effect on the environment and city. In a conservative estimate, the typical food pantry in NYC distributes 300 bags of food per month. In one year’s time, this is 3,600 bags. Given the hundreds of food pantries in the city (assuming 700), in one year they will have used 2,520,000 bags in their operation. It is important to note: since there is currently no municipal program (or market) for the recycling of plastic bags, we can assume the vast majority of them are thrown away or littered shortly after use. In other words, the very act of producing and using these plastic bags in New York City is to condemn them to over five hundred years in a landfill. There are significant disposal costs associated with plastic bags as well. The 2004-05 NYC Waste Characterization Study revealed that plastic bags alone comprised 2.87% of the overall residential waste stream in the five boroughs.

The most effective forms of environmentalism are the reduction and outright prevention of waste. To address the problem, we must look to the consumers and distributors of products like plastic bags, such as grocery stores and retailers. Just like a grocery store, food pantries are a major source of disposable waste. Many grocery stores now offer rewards for people to use their own bags in order to encourage eco-responsibility. If we are to promote empowerment on all levels in our feeding programs, and as an increasing number of pantries adopt client choice and market style distribution, why should emergency food operations be any different than grocery stores in promoting environmentalism? Increased responsibility on behalf of emergency food recipients gives way to other forms of responsibility in their lives, and what better place to begin with than something in which we can all take pride, the environment and the physical health of our neighborhoods?

2. Pantry Customers

Going green is becoming easier than ever. Environmentalism is a fun and inspiring mode of collective action. The introduction of re-usable bags in our programs can be used as an avenue to increase environmental awareness through workshops and information sessions at our pantries. Such an effort goes hand in hand with the food movement in NYC, which is tending towards environmentally conscious and sustainable initiatives, such as Community Supported Agriculture, farmer’s markets, community gardening, and urban agriculture.

In addition, important phone numbers, benefits information, and agencies could be printed on the bags, effectively making the bag itself into outreach material. Moreover, this is a permanent and appealing form of outreach, and if customers grow attached to the bag, they may over time warm up to what it represents and expresses. Having a sturdy re-usable bag is also a great possession in general and can be used by pantry customers in their day to day activities outside of monthly food pick-ups.

3. Emergency Food Pantries

The production of re-usable bags would over time be a cost effective investment. Food pantries are a consistent risk of running out of disposable bags and often times have to purchase them out of pocket. With a good base of re-usable bags in possession, pantries would simply have to provide these bags once to each new customer who would then return with the same bag for each pick-up day. At the very least this interchange would allow for greater communication between customers and the feeding programs. This would serve to minimize the revolving door service some pantries tend towards, where little connection is made between pantries and those they serve.

Another advantage is that the implementation and integration of the bags into the feeding program presents an opportunity for creative and progressive thinking on behalf of program coordinators. For instance, it promotes the movement towards a customer choice model, since pantry customers have possession of the bag and can therefore use this to select their own food, eliminating the need for pantries to pack bags ahead of the distribution day. 
 

History 

In Spring 2007, we received a small grant from the Citizens Committiee for NYC for $500 to produce 250 re-usable canvas bags for agencies in our network. The goal was to increase community awareness of our alliance while at the same time taking action against the abundant litter in our neighborhoods.

Pilot Project

We are currently conducting a pilot project which takes aiding emergency food programs and combining that with environmental education for their customers.  The aim of the pilot is to show that low-income individuals do care about the physical quality of their neighborhoods, and to give them the knowledge to take collective action to improve them.

Reusable Bag Project Plan: download