San Antonio City Council Discussing a Ban or Tax on Plastic Shopping and Dry Cleaning Bags (Medina: high crime, home)

[sc hokie]

Originally Posted by RCheck

We have this in London, most of the large supermarkets have a scheme called "bag for life" so you just purchase a bag, or rather a number of bags (stronger and bigger plastic or cloth types) and if it gets damaged they replace it for free.

Easy to get used to, they just get left in the car so they're always there when you decide to go shopping.

That works in England, but it doesn't carry over here too well. When I lived in Suffolk I could easily get all my groceries into 1 or 2 bags. However, the only reason I had that few groceries was because I had a tiny British fridge and a tiny British kitchen.

Now that I'm back in the States and have a Texas sized fridge and a Texas sized kitchen, I can buy groceries for more that 3-4 days out. Fewer trips=less gas used=better for the environment.

I don't mind paper bags, but I don't have room in my car for 20 bags-for-life. I realize that different people's food lifestyles may vary. I'm just saying that scheme doesn't work for me here in Texas.

[rd2007]

I personally use the reusable bags, but that's my opinion and I keep it to myself. This city has a billion other things they should be worrying about. Start with something important, like the drunks constantly killing citizens or crap a$$ed parents killing their kids, and work down from there.

[hoddys2]

I really dislike the plastic bags, I can fit 15 small plastic bags into 4 reusable totes, which means way less trips to the car when I get home. Plus I like that you can get the insulated ones for like 2 dollars and my ice-cream isn't melted when I get home.

[TXtrkgrl]

Originally Posted by hoddys2

I really dislike the plastic bags, I can fit 15 small plastic bags into 4 reusable totes, which means way less trips to the car when I get home. Plus I like that you can get the insulated ones for like 2 dollars and my ice-cream isn't melted when I get home.

I totally agree. I go to the grocery store about every two or three weeks so I have a LOT of groceries. I like my re-usable bags because they hold so much more and it is less trips when carrying my bags in the house.

I would miss the plastic bags though because I use those in my bathroom trashcans and for litter bags in my truck. I just hate seeing them all over the place. Right now there is one stuck to the condensing unit outside at work , I saw it earlier and didn't get a chance to go pick it up.

[WilGar]

I guess the war on graffiti was declared "WON" , the truancy problem solved and teen pregnancy is no longer a problem.

[Backliteyes]

A point in a lot of these posts is that plastic bags are evil because people litter and leave them everywhere so therefore we shouldn't use them. The real issue is that people aren't placing their plastic bags in trash cans where they belong when they are done with them.

[rd2007]

Good to see at least a couple people get it

We'll never become politicians, though.

[GlorifiedMalcontent]

rather... people aren't taking advantage of the plastic bag recycling program at the grocery stores.

i think the biggest beef most folks will have about eliminating plastic bags is how much less convenient it will be for them. you don't need to buy them and you don't need to remember them. once a plastic bag is used it's nothing but trash. it can be reused, but more often than not,no one's going to bat an eyelash if one goes missing or they accidentally throw it away with the other refuse.

i like this move. i think people who complain about it will eventually get over it, and hopefully move to more important issues facing the community. i myself am not exempt from adjustment; despite my aversion to accumulating tons of plastic bags, i constantly forget or blow off bringing the reusable ones often (on top of my dog chewing up half of my collection, oi!) it's just something to get used to.

(though honestly, i horde the plastic bags on occasion to use to clean out the ferret cage.)

as far as plastic bag usage goes, who do you think is the worst offender? i've noticed that wal-mart's checkout system often uses a gross amount of plastic bags, with one or two items per bag using that weird carousel.

[sc hokie]

Originally Posted by GlorifiedMalcontent

rather... people aren't taking advantage of the plastic bag recycling program at the grocery stores.

There's a plastic bag recycling program at the grocery store? Which ones? I'm not doubting you, it's just that I don't pay much attention to the front of the grocery store. I'd like to participate as I've accumulated far more bags that I'll ever use.

Originally Posted by GlorifiedMalcontent

i think the biggest beef most folks will have about eliminating plastic bags is how much less convenient it will be for them. you don't need to buy them and you don't need to remember them. once a plastic bag is used it's nothing but trash. it can be reused, but more often than not,no one's going to bat an eyelash if one goes missing or they accidentally throw it away with the other refuse.

I think you got it there. Even if people actually get their plastic bags in the trash can, they still clog up the landfill and take forever to decompose. I don't like the idea of them either, but since I'm incredibly lazy plastic usually wins out. I'm sure I could adjust if someone forced me to, I'm just not motivated enough to do it on my own.

[rd2007]

There's a thing in front of every HEB I've been where you can dispose of your old bags.

I can't believe more people don't see this as scraping the bottom of the barrel, though. This city has so many pressing issues that wasting time on something so trivial is just a waste of valuable time and resources. Get cracking on the out of control law enforcement, high crime rates, tagging, drunk driving, child abuse, traffic congestion, and the list stretches for miles. This equates to sticking your head in the sand and hoping all that "other stuff" just blows away.