A blue bag is a blue colored, semi-transparent bag for waste, mandated for use in some localities for refuse or for certain specific types of refuse: the distinguishing color serves to assist in recycling programs. Typically, it would be used for glass, plastic or polyethelyne content. Transparent glass ball In optics, transparency is the property of allowing light to pass. ... The international recycling symbol. ... Glass can be made transparent and flat, or into other shapes and colors as shown in this sphere from the Verrerie of Brehat in Brittany. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Location Specific
Chicago Blue Bag Program
The City of Chicago implemented a blue bag system in 1995. As it may be the case for all blue bag systems, it operates by requiring willing participants to purchase blue garbage bags (available at major grocery stores throughout the city) and depositing recyclable material in the bags. This may be paper-based (cardboard boxes, gift boxes, newspaper, etc.), plastic and glass, or yard/lawn refuse. A separate blue bag must be used for each of the three types of recyclable material. This article is about the largest city of Illinois. ...
The Chicago system has been criticized for its tediousness and inconvenience, as blue bags cost more to the homeowner than grocery bags and this system of recycling, compared to ones implemented in other cities and suburbs, requires additional effort. Nevertheless, Chicago's Blue Bag system has managed to divert approximately 25% of its waste to recycling facilities, which was its initial goal.
One of the benefits of the Chicago recycling system is that all garbage is screened for recyclables. In a typical curb-side or single-stream system, contents of the garbage cart are transferred directly to a landfill. In a Blue Bag program all material is processed. Thus almost all aluminum cans, steel, and most newspaper is diverted whether or not it is placed in a blue bag.
Wauwatosa's BlueBag Co-Collection Program may even be the best of its kind in the U.S., as it received the 1995 SWANA Silver Award for Recycling Excellence.
City crews use semi-automation to collect the bluebags along with trash at the curb and alley in one-compartment packer trucks.
In sum, if the cost of bags is included, the total costs are about $2.8 million--$2.55 million City costs and $250,000 resident bag costs-or about 18% for the BlueBag program, 27% for all yard waste programs, 6% for Drop-off Center, 1% HHW, 1% "specials," and 47% for garbage.
The bluebag program has been in a slow and tortuous demise, even as City Hall insisted that it was working well and that it was too expensive to replace it.
Under the bluebag approach, residents are asked to put paper, plastic, metal cans and other recyclables in blueplasticbags.
Bluebag was supposed to divert 25 percent of the city's household garbage from landfills.
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