Or should we just sacrifice everything on the alter of vaguely defined “freedom”?
Look how well paper straws work... and they're still coated in thin film of plastic anyway. Total stupidity, except for those who are making $$$ from convincing us that they're somehow better.
Plastic bags fulfill a need for a very lightweight, flexible, waterproof container. The alternatives all require more energy overall, which eventually results in CO2 emissions, so if you believe in climate change, that's not good either.
The only argument I've heard against them is "they look bad littered everywhere", which is a purely subjective opinion and one that is better handled, should one want to tackle the problem, by other means than depriving the majority who doesn't litter.
I’ve been using the same bags for about 20 years and they will probably last until I die. The alternative would be around 20,000 disposable bags. I have a hard time believing the lifecycle cost of my 3 bags is higher.
I also think that you reusing the same bags for 20 years and never forgetting them is an extreme example and not representative, and when you're at the cashier and realize you forgot your bags, the only realistic option if single use bags have been regulated away is buying another reusable-but-will-see-a-single-use bag.
I have a drawer full of those, and I think I've already thrown one bag full of those out during my last move. More importantly, the annoyance from this and dissolving paper straws has made me swear to never vote for a "green" party that pushes these performative bans (plastic bag litter has never been a major problem in my area), even though I would agree with many of their other policies, both social and environmental. But I'm not going to vote for someone who will go out of their way to add annoyances to my life.
I've seen some people start using those durable big bags as disposable ones instead of basic plastics in many areas where normal bags weren't available, causing potentially over a hundred times more energy to be consumed and thrown away, the opposite of what was wanted
A plastic bag that is used as a garbage bag, on the other hand, will remain where it is because its contents weigh it down.
I'm not sure how to solve this, though. Perhaps standardizing the size of these bags to make them easily usable as garbage bags, and then marking them to indicate reuse, would be helpful.
People really did adapt by bringing their own bags.
(I live in suburb hell -- unfortunately, I'm probably the only person who walks to the grocery store, so car use is unaffected)
I always keep a bag on me that folds up quite small. It’s a change but easy to adapt to.
p.s. today I had to buy plastic water bottle for the first time in years. The reason - no water fountain in the park I was visiting. Easiest way to stop it to make alternatives available and affordable.
Yeah why? Because you get the choice to take a plastic bag with you or not at the checkout. That’s why. That’s you choice. You have much less (just indirect) choice when it comes to how much plastic the stuff you buy is wrapped in. But wait. That’s a lot of it. Even most apparently cardboard wrapping makes me second guess if there is a microfilm of plastic over it.
So we have to hyperfocus on this type of plastic. The one that is the consumer’s choice. And plastic straws of course.
Even less of a choice is commercial fishing equipment being dumped in the ocean. Or things being dumped from other commercial activities.
They got data from citizen-scientists from plastic cleanup. Were those volunteers?[1] If so, plastic pollution propaganda is so important that the important work of plastic cleanup is given to concerned citizens as a bleeding heart hazing ritual. Is that how serious we are about the issue?
The nearest small sports arena is made of synthetic grass which is pellets of plastic. But that’s fine. Plastic bags.
[1] Or that might just be a stereotype by me
And straws, oh yes. I noticed after covid they're in individual packaging!
> Because I bet they're #2 if not #1 in pollution.
Why?
The German system has interesting side effects: If you litter, a homeless person will soon pick it up, making this double as an additional social system with a built-in needs test. However, a downside is that if you know you won't be returning it, it's actually cheaper to buy and trash a reusable bottle because the deposit on a reusable beer bottle is 8 cents, vs. 25 cents on a can. The production cost for the bottle is around 35 cents I think.
The deposit was introduced as a punitive measure for the industry for failing to keep the percentage of drinks sold in reusable bottles high enough. As soon as the barrier was broken and the threat/incentive gone, glass bottles almost disappeared for anything except beer (and maybe some mineral water).
Even with one of the main benefits (easy disposal) removed - since you can't crush the bottles before returning them and have to drag them back to a store - they are much more popular than glass because unless you go shopping with a car (uncommon in cities in Germany), having to carry twice as much weight (and then drag the heavy packaging back) matters.
The garbage bags and plastic bag that wash up on the beach are insignificant compared to the garbage beach goers leave on the beach and people who don't live on the beach don't realize how much garbage that is because those of us who do live on the beach spoil our morning stroll and swim with picking up the garbage so the beach can be clean and ready to be spoiled all over again.
That is to say, the problem here lies mainly with the attitudes and behaviour of people in this community than with specific policies.
https://www.mcsuk.org/ocean-emergency/ocean-pollution/plasti...
mykowebhn•3h ago
I comment like this because I understand that the struggle is not only to stop this kind of waste--and on a larger scale the environmental destruction of our planet--but also to engage and motivate the public at large to want to make these changes.
userbinator•3h ago
padjo•3h ago
manojlds•3h ago
InsideOutSanta•2h ago
userbinator•2h ago
regularjack•1h ago
Because they are biologically incapable of doing so themselves, they think everyone must be like them, so those who care must have some other hidden agenda.
Swenrekcah•45m ago
yvklxrcv•2h ago
keybored•2h ago
Are you raising awareness?
thiht•1h ago