San Francisco passes plastic-bag ban

[Gibberish]

The law, approved 10-1, requires large markets and drug stores to offer customers bags made of paper that can be recycled, plastic that breaks down easily enough to be made into compost, or reusable cloth.

San Francisco passes plastic-bag ban - Yahoo! News

Though not a top priority lets still hope the rest of America follows.

 

[disneydude]

San Francisco passes plastic-bag ban - Yahoo! News

Though not a top priority lets still hope the rest of America follows.

on a related topic....I wish someone here in LA would pass a ban stopping newspapers from being delivered in plastic bags. I understand if it is raining....but how often does it rain in LA.....maybe 10-15 days a year. yet 365 days a year....my newspaper arrives in a plastic bag that cannot be reused or recycled......just a pet peeve.....

As for plastic grocery bags. I generally take them back to the store to be reused.....I have seen people using the cloth bags and have thought that I should invest in them.....if the stores offered them....I would buy a half dozen....especially if the stores provided an incentive like they do with reusing the plastic bags....eventually they would pay for themselves.

 

[Stace]

It's a good thing some form of plastic is still an option. I hate paper bags; a waste of trees, harder to carry as they're not as durable for some products; and they hold less, thus you have to use more of them. And I'd hate to have to remember to bring cloth bags with me, though I have thought of going that route in the future. But hey, I do at least reuse my plastic bags. They make nice trash can liners for my smaller trash cans. :2wave:

 

[Stace]

on a related topic....I wish someone here in LA would pass a ban stopping newspapers from being delivered in plastic bags. I understand if it is raining....but how often does it rain in LA.....maybe 10-15 days a year. yet 365 days a year....my newspaper arrives in a plastic bag that cannot be reused or recycled......just a pet peeve.....

That's a very good point. Our newspaper is the same way. Now granted, in a typical year we have over 100 days with rainfall, but still. Whatever happened to the good ol' days when folks had a special box under their normal mailbox for the paper? I used to love reading the paper while waiting for the school bus, and then I could just stuff it back in our box when the bus came. We lived in a quiet neighborhood, so there was never any worry about someone stealing it or anything. Anyway, the plastic bags are annoying. If I could reuse them for something, it wouldn't be so bad, but they're a waste.

 

[disneydude]

I try to be environmentally sound....but not too many people would accuse me of being an environmentalist. I wish I could say I was...but like many, I enjoy the conveniences of modern life and until faced with a tragic situation....I am not likely to change my ways. Though I do try to reuse when and where I can...where it is easy. I use the plastic bags for garbage liners as well, to take my lunch...to bring home tupperware....etc.
They make good dog waste pick-up bags as well.
I guess my position on this issue would be...I'm not sure that although I think it is a good idea...I would agree with the ban. Paper bags are not a good option....like you say...it probably is worse for the environment than the plastic bags in many ways. I would like the stores to give customers the option...make the bags available (at cost....no store profit here)...and provide an incentive (for instance 5 cents off per bag - since the store saves money on not having to purchase bags if you don't use them)....or another idea...most stores have card clubs now. How about a free cloth bag each time you spend 100$ or so for a few months. I think if given the option and people are educated about how much waste would be avoided....people would use them....its all about changing attitudes and habits...myself included.....

....now back to the newspapers.....when I was a kid....our paper came with a rubber band which had many great reuse possibilities. In Winter months it later came in plastic. But this new "habit" has to be stopped. It is waste for no purpose.