No more plastic bags

My world health warrior eldest daughter has pointed this unintended consequences out to me before about her Tesla, the beverage straw bans and the bags. She says it is all psycho-social to make people feel better about their efforts. Similar to recycling efforts and birth control programs it is just making the first world feel better. Nothing wrong with that.

That article left me wondering whether to laugh or cry. So much for trying to be a virtuous save-the-planet citizen. It seems that the planet is doomed, no matter what efforts are made to save it.

I agree. I also believe it's too little too late. Way too late. Glad I'm old.

According to this article, when discussing impact on the environment, you'd have to use a plastic bag 20,000 times to equal the impact caused by making a single cotton bag.

https://qz.com/1585027/when-it-comes-to-climate-change-cotton-totes-might-be-worse-than-plastic/

Yep. However, I will continue to use my bags. As the article says, it makes me feel better. Sigh.

By creating the phrase "single use plastic", the powers taht be have hit upon a wonderful marketing catchphrase. It truly means nothing to me. It's like replacing all the incandescent bulbs with CF bulbs... reports tell us that if every single bulb was replaced, we wouldn't have enough impact to even notice it. And look at the crappy results of having CF bulbs. So: straws, plastic bags, etc... almost zero impact except they don't end up in the oceans, where the chain of life continues to be destroyed. Okay, that makes the plastic bag thing worthwhile.

The trouble is, no one came up with an alternative before storming ahead with these laws. Everyone in the universe, known and unknown, makes use of these plastic bags by putting their garbage in them. Then they put those bags in big Glad garbage bags, that are purchased with only one thought in mind: to be thrown out. Talk about a stupid chain of life. So now what do I put my garbage in... you know, the garbage that is full of plastic packaging from tomatos, USB memory sticks, veggies from the store, pre-packed "baby" carrots, roasted chicken, and on and on and on. NO PROBLEM: just go to the store and buy more Glad bags, all sizes. Or go to the various stores around here that sell plastic bags by the kilo.

See how it's just not ready for prime time? Chaps me.

But, but, we DO have to be more mindful of the world that we leave behind for Betty White and Keith Richards. Right?

This may spark a return of the household subscription to the daily newspaper, thereby providing work for kids in the pre-dawn hours on neighborhood roads. Soon, the forest will all have been converted to pulp and the Chinese will prosper, manufacturing electric trikes for all those new paper-carriers. Meanwhile, the rising tides will flood the seacoast states, forcing the population to the mountainsides, where the forests used to grow.

RV took an extra dose of his.... feigned sarcasm enhancer this morning.




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HelperGuy wrote:By creating the phrase "single use plastic", the powers taht be have hit upon a wonderful marketing catchphrase. It truly means nothing to me. It's like replacing all the incandescent bulbs with CF bulbs... reports tell us that if every single bulb was replaced, we wouldn't have enough impact to even notice it. And look at the crappy results of having CF bulbs. So: straws, plastic bags, etc... almost zero impact except they don't end up in the oceans, where the chain of life continues to be destroyed. Okay, that makes the plastic bag thing worthwhile.

The trouble is, no one came up with an alternative before storming ahead with these laws. Everyone in the universe, known and unknown, makes use of these plastic bags by putting their garbage in them. Then they put those bags in big Glad garbage bags, that are purchased with only one thought in mind: to be thrown out. Talk about a stupid chain of life. So now what do I put my garbage in... you know, the garbage that is full of plastic packaging from tomatos, USB memory sticks, veggies from the store, pre-packed "baby" carrots, roasted chicken, and on and on and on. NO PROBLEM: just go to the store and buy more Glad bags, all sizes. Or go to the various stores around here that sell plastic bags by the kilo.

See how it's just not ready for prime time? Chaps me.

I switched my whole property to Led lights. Expensive but very low power needed and the last for many years and I.

Yes, and all good, but my point was what a screw up the whole CF bulb "sudden attack of integrity and understanding of the need for greening" that various governments put everyone through, without considering the consequences, and without really doing the research. (Much like Brexiteers.) The same low-brow thinking has led to the same circumstance with bags.

Now we can afford LEDs, and soon they will be even cheaper... they are almost free in Korea and China where we import from. But it's been years getting here. The single-use theory puts us right in the same position, only worse.

In the UK, back in 1983 (36 years ago!) my wife and I used to shop at ASDA, a big food supermarket retailer, which now belongs to Walmart.  There was no plastic or paper grocery bags back then.  People placed all their purchased items back in the cart and wheeled it out to their car.  Or, some folks bought large orange plastic "cart liners" with sturdy handles that clipped onto the sides of the cart.  It took 2 people to lift a full load!  The old folk loaded up their wheelie bags at the cash till and took them on the bus home.

We took those giant orange plastic bags with us when we emigrated to Cincinnati in 1988 but people stared and laughed at us.  It's funny how good ideas take a generation or more to finally sink in. It had nothing to do with being "Green"

Soriana is still using plastic bags.

cypress wrote:Soriana is still using plastic bags.

They are biodegradable plastic. Walmart could do the same but it’s cheaper to not supply bags at all.

I don't have a problem paying for bags that are biodegradable... because then I'll put my garbage in them and it will happily decompose wherever it goes. I don't even mind Walmart charging a peso profit on the bag. This is a win/win scenario IF the bags are better than the other shitty bags that were full of holes before you even got them home so you couldn't even reuse them even if you wanted to.

The Soriana bags are better than their old ones.

Do the biodegradable bags need sunlight to break down?

It seems to depend entirely on the bag. Sigh. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Back to cloth bags.
https://www.explainthatstuff.com/bioplastics.html

Trailrunner wrote:

CanuckBob wrote:Yes, we have about 10 of the cloth bags but remembering to take them is my problem........

You have to adopt the mindset that the bags live in the cars. Not the house. Divide the bags up and put them in the cars. Then the trick is to put them back in the cars after emptying them! Soon it'll become habit. Or not. . .

Exactly TR that's what I've done. I also keep the insulated bags for the cold stuff but you have to clean them with a mild bleach solution,  wipe out because of meat juice when it leaks.

Xxxx

Lady Otter Latté wrote:

cypress wrote:Soriana is still using plastic bags.

They are biodegradable plastic. Walmart could do the same but it’s cheaper to not supply bags at all.

 I like the way Aldi's  does it they sell paper the old fashioned  kind for .8 cent, the heavy duty plastic totes for .10 cent and the heavy duty insulated ones for .89 cent or use their boxes like Costco or bring your own. 

It's a win, win.

Soriana's bags are made of 30% recycled material, according to the printing on the bags, and are "oxo-biodegradable" (https://www.interplas.com/oxo-biodegradable-plastic). They will degrade in 12 to 24 months when exposed to the environment. They are compostable and do not interfere with vegetable compost.

Soriana is a family-based outfit from Monterrey who for some reason feel it is better to offer biodegradable bags for customer service, at some expense, rather than just drop bags and baggers to save money and "do their part", like Walmart.

When you wear out a 'cloth bag', remember that most 'cloth' is now actually a plastic product, in whole or in part!

solajijic wrote:The green Walmart bags seem to disintegrate and rip easily.  I just ordered two dozen canvas craft bags off Amazon.  One set of 12 for each vehicle.

i too ordered those canvas bags which are great. i have shared with my helpers and they are so happy...

About a week ago Walmart went back to using plastic bags.

My Costco cooler bag doubles as my "carry on" luggage. Those suckers hold a ton and "such a deal".