Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm a liberal who voted against the California plastic bag ban. I used them to pick up after my dogs. I see more dog waste not picked up now, so I must not have been the only one.
Paper bags require lots more energy (and trees) to produce and distribute.
and this;
"The 2009 Keep America Beautiful Survey," Mangu-Ward wrote, "shows that all plastic bags, of which plastic retail bags are only a subset, are just 0.6 percent of visible litter nationwide."
Well, I'm not really an advocate for paper bags, either. I either use no bags (I buy what I can carry out), or I bring in my own reusable bags (often just a backpack, but sometimes one of that many reusable bags I've acquired over the years). Again, it's an inconvenience - but is really easy to get used to. I've been doing this for years, and I never buy one of the paper bags for 10 cents at check out.
That said, paper bags are far more biodegradable, which is by far the biggest issue I have with plastic bags. They simply do not disappear from the Earth in a timely manner (they'll break down into small particles first, often being ingested by the world's wildlife). It wouldn't be such a big deal if people disposed of them properly, re-used them, or recycled them - but most people do not, unfortunately.
Plastics in general - while immensely useful for humanity, are kind of horrible for the planet. Anything that gets us using less of them is a good thing in my opinion.
Most recycling facilities are set up to handle predominately rigid (hard) materials that are easier to separate using machinery: aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic containers and lids, metal cans, cardboard/paper, etc. They generally don’t accept softer items such as your ready-for-retirement college sweatshirt, your beer stained carpeting or your stash of used grocery bags. It’s not that used plastic bags, wraps and film can’t be recycled into new materials – they simply require a different collection system and processing equipment than many curbside recycling programs provide.
So please don’t put plastic bags/wraps/film in your bin if your recycling program says NO. But please DO recycle them. It’s easy. Here’s how…
More than 18,000 retail locations across the country – such as large grocery chains, home improvement stores, Walmart, Target, etc. – provide collection bins for these plastic bags/wraps/film, usually in the storefront close to the main entrance.
How about reusable bags? We keep them in the car and bring them into stores. Last years.
That's fine if you're in the know...
I had no clue such legislation was passed and was left at the counter looking like an idiot...
I lived in NY and hopped 5 minutes over the border to MA. I had no idea about it... my news came from Albany NY not MA...
So how was I lazy again? Or polluting?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
