The beginning of the 2013 season of Jefferson Farmer's Market will be marked by a cutback on plastic bags. It will supposedly be the first-of-its-kind program in the city where the vendors will give away reusable bags like imprinted custom bags instead of plastic bags. These bags have been donated by CareOne of Moorestown, a Senior Care Company.

Details of the Imprinted Custom Bags Program

Jefferson University Hospitals and Philadelphia's Farm to City organization have partnered in a program to reduce the use of plastic bags. With this initiative, they hope to unite farmers, families, and communities with healthy locally grown food.

In this program, the customers will be given reusable bags while they shop and will be encouraged to get the bags back with them, next time they come for the same. This will come a long way in cutting back the use of plastic bags that are very harmful for the environment.

One of the officials said that on an average a single farmer uses around 75 plastic bags every week. These bags are used to pack vegetables, fruits, eggs, baked goods, jams, and grass-fed beef.

The Jefferson market is held from 11 am to 3.30 pm every Thursday at the corner of the 10th and Chestnut streets.

Benefits of Using Imprinted Custom Bags

Many cities have adopted rules that limit the use of plastic bags. A reduction in the use ultimately leads to a decline in the littering of plastic bags. Though the council of Philadelphia had proposed a fee on the use of plastic bags, yet the idea didn't really work well.

The plastic bag industry itself encourages recycling as a means of reducing the litter that is caused by plastic bags. They also promote the conservation of resources that are used in making these bags.

Use of imprinted custom bags is a good way to combat this problem. These bags are not only environment-friendly but also very easy to recycle. They do not affect nature the way plastic bags do and are a safer and better option.

About the Organization

Jefferson Country Farmers Market is a non-profit organization. It was founded in 1992. It consists of vendors, farmers, and community members that support organic farming. Their main aim is to educate people about environment, health, and benefits of consuming food which is produced and sold sustainably. Over the years, they have expanded themselves with many educational and developmental programs.

Source: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/greenliving/Philly-farmers-market-nixes-plastic-bags.html