Following the British city of Modbury's ban on plastic bags in May, larger cities are following suit and retailers are promoting plastic bag free days, reusable totes, or even buy-your-own bags to discourage usage. Refusing plastic bags was one of the most frequent responses for a recent poll of top suggestions to make the world a better place and their impact on climate change is being more widely recognized.

Our Take: While those who bring their own bags may still be in the minority in many places, the movement is becoming more mainstream, especially in Britain.

On July 1, California became America's first state to initiate a mandatory recycling program to cut down on its mounds of plastic bags. Under the legislation, supermarkets, pharmacies and other major retail outlets must provide recycling bins to make it easier for customers to recycle their bags. Although it requires stores to have recycling facilities, it doesn't require that consumers recycle their bags.

Our Take: We are sure this mandate by California will make lots of headlines since it makes for a powerful sound bite, but let's be clear -- recycling will not fix this problem. While recycling does have a place in addressing this problem, it needs to be kept in perspective. Plastic bags are a key indicator of society's over-consuming nature and efforts to reduce consumption is where the bulk of our efforts need to be.

The Progressive Bag Alliance, the California Retailers Association, and the California Grocers Association announced the implementation of the nation's first statewide plastic bag recycling program. The bag manufacturing industry is partnering with the retail community to develop schemes for recycling and have designed a store "toolkit" to help retailers with public education, employee training and developing recycling systems.

Our Take: Big surprise here - the plastic bag industry's typical response. Let's just recycle all these plastic bags - that'll fix the problem. Wrong. Don't look to industry for solutions that hit at the heart of the matter which is significant consumption reduction (and taking responsibility for capturing external costs associated with plastic bags).

Shoppers and retailers are being encouraged to join a campaign for the UK's first plastic-bag free Christmas. Promoted by the non-profit group that was also the force behind designer Anya Hindmarch's sell-out "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" shopping bag, they say that plastic bag carrying should be as unacceptable as wearing fur. Shops will display logos saying "Plastic Ain't My Bag" while consumers will be encouraged to use reusable, eco-friendly bags.

Our Take: While "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" is a great slogan, the bag produced is not a very practical reusable shopping bag. "Plastic Ain't My Bag" is another great slogan - we hope it makes it onto a more practical shopping tote. Similar to the shopping totes that carry our "Plastic Bags Blow" slogan.

An upcoming ban on plastic bags in Uganda forces the country to think creatively about alternatives. Instead of relying on paper bags harvested from trees, the government is considering the use of local materials, such as banana fibre bags and papyrus baskets, for carrying items.

Our Take: As developing countries curtail the environmental impacts of industrialization, they are re- discovering and revitalizing their local economies and sustainable industries, many of which were abandoned over the past 10-20 years during the initial lure of the plastic bag phenomenon.