County Takes on Plastic Bag Menace, Sort Of
By Victor - Wednesday January 23rd 2008 |
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From the venerable China View:
BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhuanet) — In an effort to cut down on the amount of plastic grocery bags littering streets or ending up in landfills, the Los Angeles County board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a plan asking large grocers to limit the number of bags used during the next five years…
While the news reads on the surface as a positive and most of the stories are portraying it as such, the LA Times takes a stand with a justifiable negative spin on the Board’s decision, from their headline (“Plastic-bag ban unravels”) on down, emphasizing the watered-down nature of the agreement:
…officials chose the weakest of five alternatives recommended by county executives: a volunteer program that leaves it to supermarket and store owners to coax customers into packing their purchases in reusable containers.
While this might put us slightly up on NYC’s hedging on the plastic bag menace, our half-assed plastic bag reduction approach becomes just one more thing San Francisco can hold over us to feel even smugger (“Smugger?” Or “more smug”?–Ed. [Smugger --V. ]) with their city’s total bag ban plan.
But the good news is that ecofabulous is in this season, so now you can coordinate your concern for the environment to your outfit for a reasonable price.
Finally, with plastic shopping bags seemingly on their way out, there are only so many more opportunities you have remaining to witness American Beauty-esque moments of plastic-bag-based heart-caving-in beauty, so–please–do yourself a favor and seek them out now.
The grocer should invest in reusable bags such as these: http://www.simplygreensolutions.com/, and offer 10¢ rebate per own bag brought in (some grocers do this already!)…
So I take it you don’t like single-use bags? Nobody seems to want us around anymore… It’s hard being a Bag Monster in the Age of Bag Bans! I can’t even get a job because of convenient reusable ChicoBags.
For a good laugh (at my expense), and to find out more about how life is getting tougher for Bag Monsters, go to my blog: http://www.BagMonster.com
It’s essential to set time-bound goals and hold politicians accountable as we eliminate wasteful bag habits and Bag Monsters! Single-use bags are a public health hazard: They break down in the ocean, act as a sponge for other toxic substances, and they poison us through sea food. They’ve just got to go. Recycling is a last ditch effort to reduce impact, but it’s no substitute for a good dose of prevention like bringing your own bag! EPA website: “A sturdy, reusable bag needs only be used 11 times to have a lower environmental impact than using 11 disposable plastic bags.” The EPA website reveals only one percent of plastic bags were recycled and 20 percent of paper bags were recycled. Bag bans ARE realistic and necessary. Countless locations are making the transition successfully! The list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_shopping_bag#Solutions_by_country
With Bag Monster Busters working on bans worldwide, it ain’t gonna get any easier being a bag monster.
BagMonsterBusters.com
We have a campaign in Evesham Worcestershire, England to rid our town of single use plastic bags.
http://www.eveshambagbusters.org.uk/
Thanks
http://www.eveshambagbusters.org.uk/
THIS WOULD BE A GREAT PROJECT FOR MY HOME TOWN. THE TRASH THAT IS GENERATED BY THE USE OF THE PASTIC AND PAPPER BAGS HAS BROUGHT DISGRACE TO OUR CITY. THE SNACK CONTAINERS ARE JUST AS BAD. CUSTOMERS EAT THE CONTENTS ON THEIR WAY FROM THE STORES AND DISCARD THEIR TRASH ALONG THE ROADSIDE WHEREEVER IT MAY BE.I WOULD LIKE TO ASK MY LOCAL COUNCIL MEMBERS TO THINK ABOUT THIS VERY STRONGLY BECAUSE OWNERS ARE CONTINUALLY BUILDING CORNER STORES AND THEY ARE DESTRUCTIVE TO OUR COMMUNITIES WITH THIS TRASH AS AS RESULT.