Dear EarthTalk: I know there’s a big debate now as to why we need bottled water at all, but is anyone addressing the incredible waste of plastic bottles by this industry? -- Bert B., Dubuque, Iowa

The plastic waste spawned by the recent astronomical growth in the bottled water business is significant. Environmentalists especially decry it because the water from our taps is usually as good as if not better quality than what’s inside the bottle (and indeed sometimes bottled water is just tap water). Further, water bottles are not subject to the bottle bill laws that have kept billions of soda containers-made from the exact same petroleum-derived PET plastic packaging-out of our bursting landfills.

According to the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), a Washington, DC-based non-profit committed to increasing the recycling of beverage containers of all kinds, sales of non-alcohol non-carbonated drinks-bottled water as well as energy and sports drinks-will likely surpass soda sales in the U.S. by 2010. More than seven times as much non-carbonated bottled water is sold annually in the U.S. than just a decade ago.

The fact that more Americans are switching over from unhealthy soda to water is a positive health trend, but reliance on bottled rather than tap water means that the environment is taking a big hit. CRI’s analysis shows that Americans have never recycled as much PET as in recent years. However, the sheer increase in bottled water sales means that even more of the material is going un-recycled than ever before. CRI says that if bottled water were covered under just the 11 state bottle bills currently granting five- to 10-cent refunds on returned soda bottles, the PET wasting rate could drop threefold or more nationally.

Besides being less wasteful, cutting back on the need to manufacture more plastic bottles from non-recycled (virgin) materials would also have a noticeable impact on America’s carbon footprint. CRI estimates that some 18 million barrels of crude oil equivalent were consumed in 2005 to replace the two million tons of PET bottles that were wasted instead of recycled. Some other negative environmental impacts of making more and more PET from virgin petroleum sources include damage to wildlife and marine life, air and water pollution, and greater burdens on already stressed landfills and incinerators.

CRI and others are working to get policymakers at both state and federal levels to mandate increased recycling for water bottles. Oregon is the first state to update its bottle bill-the first in the nation when it was enacted back in 1971-to include a five-cent refund on PET water bottles beginning in January 2009.

And just this past November, Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey introduced a bill on Capitol Hill calling for the creation of a federal bottle bill mandating a five-cent refund on all beverage containers-including water bottles. Entitled The Bottle Recycling Climate Protection Act, the bill is now with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for review, and may come up for a vote this year.

Environmentalists are not optimistic, however, that such a bill can pass, given how influential the beverage industry is in protecting its interests, which include keeping the base price of its products like bottled water as low as possible, regardless of the availability of an after-purchase refund.

CONTACTS: Container Recycling Institute, www.container-recycling.org; The Bottle Recycling Climate Protection Act, http://www.fedcenter.gov/Articles/index.cfm?id=8608&pge_id=1854.

Dear EarthTalk: I’ve been hearing a lot about all the recycled materials being turned into handbags and purses. Are these bags actually fashionable? — Mary-Beth Johnstone, Cos Cob, Conn.

Eco fashion, especially in the world of bags, purses and carriers, has proven to be an inventive outlet for all kinds of recycled materials. And yes, most of these bags-even those made from such unlikely materials as candy wrappers (by Ecoist) or carpets (CarpetBags)-not only look good, but would probably draw looks of admiration from fellow bag aficionados.

The Canadian website, eco-handbags.ca, carries a large assortment of creatively adapted materials turned to wearable art from green handbag companies. There are bags made from old books, sailboat sails, juice boxes, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, neckties, cigar boxes, skateboards, candy wrappers, chopsticks, soda pop tops and bicycle tire inner tubes. And these don’t look like they’ve been knit together from a trash bin: They are impeccably sewn one-of-a-kind accessories. The juice box cooler bag, handmade by a cooperative in the Philippines for Bazura Bags, is a great all-purpose carry-all, while the sleek Roadster Handbag made of truck tire inner tubes by English Retreads makes for a stylish everyday purse.

Ava DeMarco and her husband Rob Brandegee one day looked at used license plates and saw handbags. The couple had launched their company, Littlearth Productions, in 1993 with a mission to match style with eco-consciousness. At first, license plates were used as ornaments on recycled rubber bags. Then they became the bags themselves, twisted into colorful cylindrical purses. Now Littlearth’s recycled license plate handbags can be found in more than 1,000 retail outlets and in the clutches of everyone from Oprah to Chelsea Clinton. “Everything we make is one of a kind, because all license plates are unique,” says DeMarco. In one year, Littlearth recycled more than 15 tons of rubber and 40,000 license plates.

And why not turn all that old tire rubber into something eminently wearable? The material is completely durable and effective for everything from men’s messenger bags to women’s clutches. “I’ve always been aware of the tire situation,” says Robin Gilson, president and founder of Vulcana, a company that makes bags out of recycled car tires.

“They collect water; they are breeding grounds for mosquitoes. I thought: ‘Wouldn’t it be great if you could melt car tires down and reshape them?’”

After taking a leave of absence from her job as an attorney in 1995, Gilson tracked down a company that would take recycled car tire crumb and mix it with natural rubber to create a material suitable for stitching into bags. Vulcana launched its product line in 2001. The company takes 30 to 50 percent of its material from recycled car tires. The rest is virgin rubber, mostly from small, family-owned plantations in Malaysia. Some products are hemp-fused, which means the rubber is cured directly onto a hemp fabric.

For animal-lovers the new range of handbags has been especially welcome-whether they’re made from tires, records, hemp or chopsticks, these bags are a great alternative to leather and an easy way to make a fashion statement.

CONTACTS: Bazura Bags, www.bazurabags.com; Eco Handbags, www.eco-handbags.ca; Ecoist, www.ecoist.com; English Retreads, www.englishretreads.com; Littlearth Productions, www.littlearth.com; Vulcana, www.vulcanabags.com.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek/, or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.

If you don’t own a Bolzano handbag, and if it makes you feel better, Bolzano is a newcomer in the American high-fashion scene. Of course, that’s just an excuse for not treating yourself to authentic Italian luxury sooner.

In quiet seriousness, when it comes to “good” purses over the years, it’s been a letters game — C, G, LV and P. Well that continues, and keep your eyes open for the letter “B” boiling over the American market in 2008.

Three of their products got a closer look, and there are a bunch of striking designs in Bolzano’s spring collection.

“Fiore” (Italian for “Flower”) comes in three colors and can fit a small family inside. The red design ($485) is striking with crocodile-embossed lambskin pocket flaps and gold-colored “B” hardware. There’s a matching wallet ($175) and passport holder ($58). It’s a sophisticated design that screams “success” on the wearer.

What the company says: “City Stitch goes soft; this slouchy bag is comfortable and stunning. Sure to turn heads everywhere it goes.”
• 17" L x 11" H x 8" W
• Bright poppy red Italian leather with patent crocodile embossed lambskin pocket flaps
• Gold color signature rings adorn the 22" tubular handles
• Gold color working key & lock hardware embossed with Bolzano insignia on pocket flaps

The “Sienna Hobo” design ($300) is a smaller more-everyday bag. Hobo is a different kind of handbag style. It gives a casual look but works just as well with a business suit or dinner dress.

What the company says: “Retro meets classic style with this enchanting hobo bag. The convenient shape and size makes it an ideal everyday companion.”
• 17" L x 12" H x 5.5" W
• Genuine black cowhide leather
• 15" shoulder strap
• Pre-order only

Finaly the brown “Lucia” ($345) is a very classy design that looks very old-world Italian. The bag is roomy, and the design is clean. It’s very vintage.

What the company says: ” Fabulously functional, the Lucia has an accesible roomy interior that can accommodate the needs of a busy woman.”
• 18" L x 9 "H x 4" W
• 25" handles tubular handles
• Two-way Bo zipper pull / nickel purse feet
• Inside signature jacquard lining with interior zipper and multifunctional slit pockets
• Brown Italian cowhide leather
• Bo ring detail at front
• Antique gold color hardware

Bolzano has some exciting designs, excellent fabric and a ton of potential. In the United States and Canada, they are currently only available in boutique stores, scattered around. They’re also available online. If the company can build its brand, Bolzano bags could be all the rage within a year. The designs seem to appeal to the career woman, but some designs could find their way into the closets of college girls and younger.

No one ever said love was easy, especially if you love couture handbags. While not many will purchase Chanel’s Diamond Forever tote (available in December 2007, for those of you making a wish list, with the diamond-encrusted price tag of $260,150), the demand for high-end handbags has skyrocketed. Online retailer eLuxury.com saw sales of luxury handbags (those over $500) increase 11% last year.

With this kind of investment, proper cleaning and maintenance is essential. Hallak Cleaners, a leading couture dry cleaners that specializes in high-end products and handbags, recommends the following tips for keeping handbags and purses looking their arm-candy best:

• Store it in the dust cover or a soft pillow case when not in use
• Handle your bag with clean hands
• Avoid handling after applying beauty products, face foundations or hand creams
• Keep newspapers, photocopies or other printed materials at a safe distance
• Always avoid contact with ink
• Most important: If your purse gets dirty or stained, don’t experiment with cleaning methods yourself. Doing so might permanently damage your bag. Seek expert advice

"The most important thing is not to try cleaning it yourself," said John-Claude Hallak. "Even simple stains can ruin a purse, and special leather, suede and fabric each take different cleaning methods to bring them back to life. The ‘ring’ left by an improperly cleaned stain can render an expensive bag unwearable."

For best results, Hallak recommends having all handbags cleaned when they are lightly to moderately soiled.

A good cleaners should hand-clean the bags and refinish them to original beauty. Fabric handbags are protected against future stains with DuPont Teflon or Scotchgard. Suede handbags are evaluated to determine which cleaning processes are best suited for that type of skin. Oils and colors are restored to the bags after hand cleaning to make the appearance look as rich as they day you bought it.

Hallak also provides service to many famous New York boutiques including Tod’s, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Burbery, Chanel and many more.