Thought you were doing something good by using reusable grocery bags? Think again! Senator Chuck Schumer is looking to launch a federal investigation following a report that lead has been discovered in some of these bags. He is contacting the FDA, the EPA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission regarding the bags, which are sold nationwide; he hopes to have the bags banned immediately. more ›

Will the plastic bag controversy ever end? With the recent news of Bloomberg pushing a plastic bag tax, The NY Times is the latest to take a look into the sordid grocery packaging habits of New Yorkers. Perhaps as some believe cigarettes should be, instead of a tax, they just need to be made illegal; even reusable grocery bag users are finding they accept a plastic bag here and there.

“I’d pick up 50 bags a week instead of 2 or 3 if I wasn’t conscious of it,” said Mr. Thrasher, 31, a freelance writer from Fort Greene, Brooklyn. “You’re always having a plastic bag put in your hand.”