Baby Steps in Plastic Bags

[Iwillnevergiveup]

http://www.laprogressive.com/the-environment/no-more-plastic-bags/

by Dick Price

A personal and heartfelt plea for the environment - yes, we can!

[CrispyQ]

1. Baby steps, indeed.

snip...

Ireland offers a perfect example. Several years ago, in a determined effort to deal with litter, the Irish government began charging 33 centers for each plastic bag, accompanied by an advertising campaign.

Then the magic happened:

“Within weeks, there was a 94 percent drop in plastic bag use. Within a year, nearly everyone bought reusable cloth bags, which they now keep in the office and the back of their cars. Plastic bags became socially unacceptable – on par with wearing a fur coat or not cleaning up after your dog.”

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The first two photos are from the article:





This photo is from Chris Jordan's 2009 Midway: Message from the Gyre exhibit.
http://www.chrisjordan.com/gallery/midway/#CF000313%2018x24



The photos are every bit as heartbreaking as the oiled birds.

[ceile]

2. The turn around in Ireland was amazing.

I went there twice within 10 months. First time the trash was noticeable, I even commented on it, much to the embarrassment of my boyfriend's mother. When we returned for another visit, a short 10 months later, the change was remarkable. Not a plastic bag in sight. The streets of Dublin were nearly spotless.

[pansypoo53219]

3. i try to get the least packaging possible.

and i reuse as much plastic packaging as packing material when i ebay. heck, they did a whole remodeling of the hair salon around the block and i raided the dumpster fr anything i could use. and grab. shrinkwraqqpping everything appalls me. i have not bought any peanuts for packing. dissolve the ones that are corn starch. recycle or compost all brown paper. sigh. but i am in a sea of idiots.

[SoCalDem]

4. I LOVE my reusable shopping bags

I keep a clothes basket in my trunk & have several different kinds of bags, but the heavy duty ones I bought on clearance at Office depot are my favorites.. They are HEAVY canvas bags with shoulder straps..and not so huge that they get too heavy.. I also have a few that are waterproofed inside so I can put produce & meats in them with no fear of ruining them if something leaks:)

The best thing is that they are always on sale online.. I just google "cheap reusable shopping bags free shipping" & always find great ones for gifts to others (or for ME)

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Plastic bags are a product of the petroleum industry. It will be a very uphill battle here in the

petroleum owned US of A.

I hope and pray that plastic bags become as much of a social embarrassment here as they became in Ireland.

[Statistical]

6. I am a lazy SOB when it comes to plastic bags but...

I am also a capitalist.

I would welcome a tax/fee on plastic bags. It would give me the incentive to stick with reusable bags.
There are millions of people like that and some people will just "suck it up" and keep using the bags. The money collected could be used to fund cleanup and other environmental efforts.

[SoCalDem]

9. Winco pays us 5 cents for every reusable bag we bring with us..

It's nothing to get rich on, but they are encouraging people to use their own bags:)

I brought 7 bags with me...even though I only "used" 5 :)

[Arkansas Granny]

7. Lately I've been using some reusable shopping bags that I got as a

gift for joining an organization and I love them. They are lightweight, easy to fold and carry with you, hold more than you would expect and they are comfortable to use. They look a lot like the Envirosax.

http://www.envirosax.com/

[CrispyQ]

8. I love my envirosax!

A friend gave me a 5-pack a few years ago. They fold up so nicely I've stuffed one in both our glove compartments for times when we forget our old canvas bags. When I go shopping I take one sax with me & put all my goods in there, instead of a bag from each store. And you're right, they're big! I'd need a much bigger budget to fill one up!

We treat our planet like a toilet & no one will be immune from the affect of that. Not even the rich.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

10. What's really obscene to me

are the huge Hefty trash bags - lots of oil in those babies.

Do most of you use paper grocery bags for trash?