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Paper or Plastic? How about neither?

Ketchup

Ketchup

Elite Member
I was quite surprised earlier this year when I was asked to look into a store with a couple SCO (self checkout) lanes that weren't balancing correctly.

Why? Well, the town they are in just passed a ban on plastic bags!

Really? We all switch to plastic so that we can save the trees, now "non-disposable plastic is hiding under ice shelves in Antarctica," or something like that, is what I hear.

Crazy stuff. Is anybody having a problem with this? What are you using instead?

I see my state (SC) as being one of the last to implement this, but some Googling indicates that this wasn't all too new when I came across it.

http://www.cawrecycles.org/issues/plastic_campaign/plastic_bags/national
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/30/california-plastic-bag-ban-overturn_n_6393060.html
 
They sell reusable bags everywhere, I'm not sure what they're made of, it's sorta like a cloth, but not really a cloth, similar to what would be used for a tarp. I use those. Plastic bags arn't banned but they are terrible for the environment. They take 100's if 1,000's of years to decompose. They really should be outlawed.

I do use them for the kitty litter though... I should find a better way to dispose of that TBH, it's kinda a waste to put something that would normally decompose in a few years in something that wont decompose in my life time.
 
I put the groceries back in the cart, and load them loose in my truck. I have string bags I like a lot, but they're tricky to use if you're not familiar with them. Since stores don't have bagging conveyors anymore, I can't bag, and the clerk doesn't know how to use my bags.

I don't use self checkout. Something's always fucked up, and the person that should have done the job in the first place, has to come over and fix things.
 
I lived in Maryland when they passed a law requiring grocers to charge $0.05 per bag. You'd see people walking down the street juggling piles of groceries in their arms.

All this for the environment, but they still print a paper receipt even though you don't want one.
 
I see my state (SC) as being one of the last to implement this,
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The libtards have invaded. They hate where they came from but want to "make us better" by doing the same stupid crap that they left.

What city?
 
My Wife has been using cloth bags for many years now I guess....

Publix has always endorsed it, she even has Christmas bags etc from over time.

We have about 8 or so in there keep we just bring inside when we shop, it's not hard.

I like it actually, they are a lot sturdier.
 
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MongGrel said:
My Wife has been using cloth bags for many years now I guess....

Publix has always endorsed it, she even has Christmas bags etc from over time.

We have about 8 or so in there keep we just bring inside when we shop, it's not hard.

I like it actually, they are a lot sturdier.
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Does she wash them?

I love some red meat soaked cloth bag carrying my veggies....

Or not.
 
highland145 said:
Does she wash them?

I love some red meat soaked cloth bag carrying my veggies....

Or not.
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Yes actually know and then, and the store has been using them a long time and knows better than do that.

We still get the meat in plastic in bags more or less put into the cloth ones, they aren't that dense.

The plastic bags are good for cat litter cleaning.
 
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The solution is not to ban the bags. The overwhelming majority of them get disposed of correctly and they don't do any harm at all in a landfill.

I reuse every single one. I can't put cat litter scoopings or wiped-up cat barf directly into the trash because the phorrid flies will have a population explosion. I put that stuff into a grocery bag that I can tie closed. I line my small wastebaskets with those bags so I don't have to buy liners.
 
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I go to Kroger here, and the self-checkout has an option for bring your own bags. You click that, and then place your bags on the scale and then continue checking out. The system is based on weight, so once it sees the reusable bag it is smooth sailing. I prefer my bag because I can put the equivalent of 30 bags of stuff if bagged by a store employee.

This has been a thing here for years, so I'm not sure what to tell you without sounding insulting.

I am not a granola-smoking hippy, I would just rather carry one 30 lb bag instead of trying to rig together 30 1 pound bags. Obviously, multiple trips are out of the question.
 
they have been charging 5 cents a bag here for years, I still get the bags, fuck it. I re-use all of em, and I don't have to buy bags of bags to put in my garbage.
 
I am just waiting for them to make a charge for bags here. We still use plastic bags in our home, but my parents are already bringing their own. My Mother says that once you get used to it, it's much better. Of course, it's just her and Dad, so not really a fair comparison IMO.

Personally, I think it is just a new way to charge customers more, and just happens to be politically correct (like the bottle charge).
 
The City of Toronto passed a law years back banning plastic bags. The biggest grocery chain Loblaws went all out "green" afterwards. Removed the plastic bags from the store, and refused to serve customers who brought their own. You had to use the canvas ones, which they just happened to sell for a couple bucks each. 🙄

The city repealed the law a couple years ago after everyone discovered how much a colossal pain in the arse it was. Not to mention all those studies that found they were actually the more environmentally sound alternative. Oops. 😀

Most stores charge five cents a bag. Some donate the proceeds to local charities. I shop at those ones.

We usually do a big shop so they hauling enough canvas bags is a pain. The plastic bags get reused as trash can liners.

NikolaeVarius said:
Meh, shop at Costco. Don't get bags. Win Win.
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Costco does give you boxed though.
 
highland145 said:
The libtards have invaded. They hate where they came from but want to "make us better" by doing the same stupid crap that they left.
Click to expand...

Heh, got a chuckle out of me as it reminded me of when a couple from NY moved to a small town in the Carolinas next to my parents. The NY couple owned the place for many years but only used it on vacations, but then moved in permanently after retirement. About 3 months later, the guy started giving my father an earful at every opportunity regarding all the things that needed to be "fixed" in the town - roads, amenities, better quality stores, more government programs, even the street signs.

About the 5th time, my father asked "Why did you move here if you hate it so much?" No more complaining, at least to him.
 
Ichinisan said:
The solution is not to ban the bags. The overwhelming majority of them get disposed of correctly and they don't do any harm at all in a landfill.

I reuse every single one. I can't put cat litter scoopings or wiped-up cat barf directly into the trash because the phorrid flies will have a population explosion. I put that stuff into a grocery bag that I can tie closed. I line my small wastebaskets with those bags so I don't have to buy liners.
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Yup we use them as garbage bags in a 15-liter trash can which fits them perfectly. We're a family of four and only manage to use 1 or 2 bags a day which means we get a replenishment weekly after grocery shopping. Don't need those large tall kitchen trash bags.

Bag holder: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/simplehuman-reg-stainless-steel-bag-holder/1012977425
 
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The plastic bags are very recyclable.

Of course, the paper bags we used back in the day were also very recyclable.

For a while there, they were aggressively trying to recycle the plastic grocery bags, with bins at most stores.

Those have disappeared though.

There's no sign of a plastic bag ban here, but I do see people using dirty old cloth bags...
 
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