Is it time for society to stop using plastic bags?

[yllus]

The war on plastic bags (Registration required)

Anti-plastic bag:

Countries around the world are declaring war on plastic bags.

Ireland introduced a 15 pence (about 24 cent) tax on plastic bags in 2002, which led to a 90 per cent reduction in bag use. Since then, the "plastax" has generated 37 million euros ($59 million) that have gone toward an environmental fund.

This spring, San Francisco is considering a 17-cent fee on plastic and paper bags. The proposed resolution reads, in part: "In the U.S. alone, an estimated 12 million barrels of oil are required to produce the 100 billion bags used annually."

Australia's department of the environment and heritage reported a 25 per cent reduction in bag use after a nationwide "say no to plastic bags campaign." Where retailers charged for plastic bags, reduction was as high as 80 per cent.

For most of us, there is no incentive to stop using plastic bags, says Barry Friesen of Nova Scotia's department of environment and labour. "We don't see the effects of not taking them, we don't pay for them, when we throw them away it's collected by the municipality, and we don't see the landfill."

But some, like Friesen, look at a plastic bag and see a disposable item made from a non-renewable resource, petroleum, which took eons to create.

"This is a product millions of years in the making, starting as plant life, then through several miracles of intense heat and pressure is formed into hydrocarbons. We draw it out of the ground at huge environmental expense, give tax credit to those who extract it and, at great expense of energy, make it into a polymer. If you make a dairy container, you fill it with a product with a three-week shelf life, or in the case of a bag, you use it once, maybe for 20 minutes, and throw it away.

"It's an incredible waste of money and energy."

Pro-plastic bag:

EPIC, the Environment and Plastics Industry Council, says plastic bags are more environmentally friendly and reduce the impact of global warming more than other types of bags.

It takes twice as much energy to produce a paper bag than a plastic bag and five times as many truckloads to haul paper bags compared with the same number of plastic, the council says.

Plastics consume only 4 per cent of the world's oil, the council's website also says. "This fraction is used so effectively that fossil-fuel reserves last longer as a result" (because of lower transportation costs).

Knowing the short attention span of AT, I've sliced and diced the article up quite a bit - it's free registration if you want to take a look.

The environmental and economic arguments against plastic bags don't seem to hold up. Take a look. The only rational argument is that from a plastic bag's long-lasting nature, when improperly disposed of they tend to clog up things much worse than paper alternatives.

 

[PlatinumGold]

is this just about plastic bags you bag your groceries in? or is this referring to all types of plastic bags, ziplock bags, sandwhich bags, plastic packaging etc?

 

[Toastedlightly]

no.

 

[Zim Hosein]

Inspired by xospec1alk's thread yllus?

 

[Nomada]

10c. levie is fair.

 

[Kipper]

I recycle all of mine or use the large ones as trash bags.

 

[yllus]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
is this just about plastic bags you bag your groceries in? or is this referring to all types of plastic bags, ziplock bags, sandwhich bags, plastic packaging etc?

Just grocery/retail item bags. The article actually mentions a caveat made by Friesen about some plastic packaging being the best solution.

Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
Inspired by xospec1alk's thread yllus?

No, but maybe his cashier read the article!

 

[ChefJoe]

I think it's time for the recycling people to figure out a way to clean things before recycling. Think of all the water we waste washing things individually (most recycling programs want clean items) before it goes into the recycling bin. They also won't take recyclables with perfectly "natural" foodstuff stuck to it... think of all the pizza boxes that could be recycled.

I remember the days of only paper bags at Kroger's..... it was a pain in the rear to unload the car because it was so many more trips.

 

[PlatinumGold]

sure, everyone should be required to carry their own re usable cotton shopping bags.

 

[ElFenix]

ban blister packs

 

[RossMAN]

Whenever we go grocery shopping I always ask for paper bags.

 

[shilala]

I like plastic bags.

 

[RaiderJ]

I think the taxes are introduced more for revenue generation, rather than environmental reasons. But that's politics for you!

 

[jjones]

Plastic grocery bags are useful around the house. Paper bags I do not find so useful.

 

[JulesMaximus]

The only viable alternative would be if we all used reusable canvas bags.

I actually reuse the plastic grocery bags for small garbage pails in our home, to tie and dispose of dirty diapers and to pick up after my dog. So, each plastic bag I get is used twice.

 

[imported_weadjust]

I'm bi-sacktual. I'll do paper or plastic. Don't matter.

 

[iwantanewcomputer]

yeah...4% of world's oil used for plastic...maybe like .1 is used for plastic bags

 

[SVT Cobra]

"no poll no service"

i try to recycle some things...but im not for getting rid of plastic bags...what we need is better recylcing programs....

 

[Vic]

As evidenced by the anti-plastic bag argument, it is impossible to be a socialist without also being a shameless liar. We do see the landfill, thank you very much, when we pay our garbage bills. These taxes are not about the environment, but a new excuse for revenue and bureaucratic corruption.


edit: btw, who here can name the 2 natural resources and their major products that we will absolutely never ever run out of?

 

[Transition]

I usually cut holes big enough for birds heads when i throw away my plastic bags.

 

[mercanucaribe]

I'll never understand the landfill arguments. Who the hell cares if landfills are filling up? That's what they do. It's not like they are covering the country. I'll bet that golf courses take up more land than landfills.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
Whenever we go grocery shopping I always ask for paper bags.

Paper bags are actually LESS environmentally friendly than plastic bags. Paper bags cost more energy to produce, more energy and truck space to ship to the stores, are no more likely to be recycled, and take up more room in the landfills.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Vic
As evidenced by the anti-plastic bag argument, it is impossible to be a socialist without also being a shameless liar. We do see the landfill, thank you very much, when we pay our garbage bills. These taxes are not about the environment, but a new excuse for revenue and bureaucratic corruption.


edit: btw, who here can name the 2 natural resources and their major products that we will absolutely never ever run out of?

empty space
hydrogen

 

[yllus]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Vic
edit: btw, who here can name the 2 natural resources and their major products that we will absolutely never ever run out of?

empty space
hydrogen

I was going to say nitrogen, dunno about the second.

 

[cavemanmoron]

I like Glass bottles better,than plastic;
but they are tough to find.

I prefer paper bags;but they are also hard to get at the store.