They think stores aren’t following the law. But I haven’t seen one that hasn’t. What they don’t realize is a lot of people are bringing in their own single use plastic bags. You can buy 1500-2000 of them on Amazon for 20 bucks. They’re cheaper now. I see a lot of people doing that now. Everyone at the Shoprite self checkout had plastic bags. Shoprite wasn’t providing them.
Same with straws. I keep about 100 of them in my car in case I get a drink from a convenience store. I’m not using a paper straw. They cost almost nothing as well.
Clean Ocean Action found during its twice-a-year beach clean-ups that the number of plastic shopping bags, straws and foam takeout containers had dropped by more than 35% from 2021 to 2022.
The origination of the plastic bag wasn’t meant for it to be a single use item.
But even if one wants to tweak the noses of environmentalists from the 1970’s I don’t really see what that accomplishes in 2024 after we have seen the effects of it.
That was the common “wisdom” of the time. “Save trees.”
Now we have a retrospective view.
What I don’t understand is why we don’t go back to paper. In fact, so much “recycled” paper actually ends up in landfills or gets burned because there is not a sufficient market for the recycled output. Heck, just make single-use paper bags from recycled paper. Solves the plastic problem. Doesn’t kill trees. WIN-WIN!!!
Another thing easily replaced online. However, the new stuff is usually better. The only place I insist on the old bulbs is my garage. Has to be two regular 250 watt bulbs. I just get them online.
What’s funny is that Hemp solves that problem entirely. It’s just weed. You can grow low grade dirt weed for hemp purposes anywhere in the world at almost any time of the year. It would create an entirely new industry that people would love to get into and make a fortune. It can be used for paper bags, for straws, for rope, even as clothing. I have a shirt made from hemp and it’s quite nice.
Plus it’s not like America never had a relationship with the stuff anyway. Our founding documents are written on hemp paper and men like Washington grew hundreds of acres of the stuff because of how useful it is.
I am assuming (not knowing) the use of plastic is because it’s so cheap. I’m thinking of those little Kroger bags you get at the vegetables that are almost impossible to open they are so thin…
It would be interesting to see what a hemp alternative bag would cost compared to that I’d be up for it. Maybe reusable only
I use “single use” Target plastic bags as linings for my trash cans. If I did not have those, I would be buying plastic trashcan liners.
Dallas prohibited plastic shopping bags a few years ago. People did their shopping increasingly in nearby suburbs. Finally realizing all they were doing was running off business to the suburbs, the law was rescinded.
Way back, plastic bags were pushed as the big eco green thing, to save trees from being used as paper bags. Then years later, when they forgot why they did that, they wanted to use paper bags to be green and save the world from so called one use plastic bags.
Eco activists chasing their tail.
