Should Plastic Grocery Bags Be Banned?
Posted by Jennifer Norman January 7th, 2008 .The more I read about plastic grocery bags, the more I believe that plastic grocery bags should be banned. Their impact on this planet is destructive and everlasting. Plastic grocery bags are littered everywhere on Earth, from the side of Long Point Road to Antarctica.
Maybe you’ve heard about the folks in China who have named the tumbleweeds of plastic bags “white pollution.” Or the South Africans who are now skilled in plastic bag home construction.
Perhaps you’ve read about the 100,000 marine animals that die annually from entrapment or ingestion of plastic grocery bags. Don’t forget, the plastic that trapped the turtle will be free to go as soon the body decomposes.
We know those bags are non-biodegradable. We know they are made from a non-renewable source. We know that 12 million barrels of oil are used to produce the 100 billion plastic grocery bags Americans use.
Yet, they are still being handed to us, free.
In my pantry hangs an over-sized canvass bag with a Ron Jon logo printed on the front. Inside the bag are ten other canvass bags, with varying logos. The floors of my car are littered with canvass bags. My diaper bag is a canvass bag with the words, “Stop using plastic bags,” printed boldly in green. I may have more canvass bags than shoes.
It has been over a year since I have used a plastic grocery store bag. I love it (far more than composting.) My favorite bags have long handles so I can sling them over my shoulders. I have smaller bags for eggs or cleaning supplies. Any food that is in a bag, like bread and chips, well, those are in a bag already.
I bag my own groceries, and would like to say that the grocery stores have not been all that obliging. But, as the weeks have passed, the clerks have noticed that I am not going back to using their bags. Though my bagging buddy
Jack, finally confided to me that he was proud of my effort, I still feel like a sideshow at the checkout.
Now, to all you customers out there that are still using plastic bags, go ahead and ask me why I’ve switched. What is disturbing is that there are so many reasons to change, I could give different answers every time. So, instead of staring at me and thinking, “Well, she does have her nose pierced too…” buy the 99 cent reusable bags now offered at Harris Teeter, Bi-Lo, Publix and Whole Food stores. Check out ReusableBags.com. There are options that are easily accessible, use them instead. The more WE change, the more the manufacturers will notice.
I love my canvass bag collection. It’s all machine washable, air dryable, and 100% reusable. We know all the reasons to stop using plastic grocery bags, and paper bags, we just have to do it!!
12 Responses to “Should Plastic Grocery Bags Be Banned?”
- 1 Pingback on Feb 12th, 2008 at 9:15 am
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Even though I seem to have a hard time remembering to bring my paper bags or a canvas bag to the store, I feel like plastic groceries bags should be phased out. But how? Maybe there should be a “bag charge” tacked onto groceries bills. If I was charged a bag fee on my grocery bill, I might be more inclined to bring in my own bags.
Whole Foods is about the only place that doesn’t look at you like you’ve just arrived from Mars. And they are supposed to take off 5 cents for every bag you bring and use (can even be a plastic grocery bag!) but they don’t always do that. I feel kinda stupid having to remind them–but come on! That’s an extra 5 cents in my pocket–it adds up!
I had to pull a grocery bag out of a tree in my backyard this weekend. It really reinforced the anti-plastic bag movement. >>
In Australia, eco-bags were introduced, $0.99 each. In Ireland a tax is added to the bill if you use the store bag (with good results.) I’m not sure why stores like Earth Fare or Whole Foods wouldn’t begin to implement some sort of charge for plastic grocery bags, especially since our government seems occupied with other problems.
For years, I only used a canvas bag when it was convenient for me. When I made it a goal, a time-oriented goal, it worked!
How long can I go without using any store bag?
Great post, Jennifer! You’ve compiled a lot of information I wasn’t aware of.
Just saw that China banned merchants from distributing plastic bags for free today. Hopefully this makes a dent with over a billion consumers there and also it may lend a hand to grabbing the international attention that is needed for this issue and propel a legitimate movement of willing industrial countries.
Unfortunately, this issue, like so many others, is probably not going to be fixed by our government. Plastic bags remind me of thneeds - you know - those things that everybody needs that Dr. Suess wrote about in 1971. The Lorax left behind one truffula seed with one word - UNLESS. So - unless we care enough to do what Jen has done and make not getting a plastic bag a goal…. And then we can just take turns filling in the blank for other life enhancing goals that can fit after that word UNLESS!
LetsGoGreen.biz is an online company selling eco-friendly products to the homeowner. We have the products that let you “go green” at home. We even have canvas totes for shopping!
Go Green in 2008!
Kyle Jodice
http://www.LetsGoGreen.biz
Hey Jennifer, ‘The Lorax’ is a masterpiece. My four-year-old can grasp the message of sustainability through Dr. Suess rhyme.
I agree that our government will not be addressing plastic grocery bags anytime soon. That’s why it’s even more important to just stop using them. By bringing our own bags, we remind onlookers of the harms from plastic grocery bags.
And I’m beginning to see more of us out there.
It’s really going to be up to consumers and business managers to drive this initiative. Our federal government is busy with things like steroids in baseball.
We just gotta change behavior one greenie at a time!
On NPR tonight, Marketplace ran a story about plastic bags. The New York city council approved a bill requiring large stores to recycle plastic bags. The Marketplace story talked about a broader shift towards reusable bags as well.
Marketplace story:
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/01/10/plastic_bag_q/
NYC plastic bag news:
LINK
Ikea (Atlanta, at least) now proclaims they are “not giving away any more bags” and will charge for each one you take. This has been going on for years in England and Ireland. Once more stores start charging for grocery bags, more people will get in the habit of collecting canvas shopping bags and using them. This also creates more of a market for those nifty tiny bags that fold up to the size of a change purse which are popular in France!
By the way … The Wholes Foods where I shop now gives a 10 cent bag rebate … the only place I’ve heard of so far paying shoppers that much to do the right thing! Go WFM!