A poll to DU - Plastic Grocery Bags

[Sherman A1]

It's about the new ban on plastic grocery bags in SF.. About the middle of the page currently 215 votes with 80.9% in favor of banning the bags entirely. The more the merrier!

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0329/p01s03-ussc.html?page=1


:yourock:

[Eagle_Eye]

1. I hate plastic bags

They do not have flat bottoms and things inside fall over when I set them down.
Paper is better. Reusable cloth bags sound great. They would be much stronger than either plastic bags or paper bags.

[RC]

2. I love plastic bags

They have handles, take little space to store and are convenient for carrying a wide variety of things.

Paper bags take up a fair amount of space to store. Hard to carry more than two filled bags.

[aintitfunny]

8. Re-usable cloth bags

hold more, are easier to carry, and store inside themselves. Just started using them and they beat plastic silly.

[Dorian Gray]

29. Yes. I have two of them...

but I don't always remember to throw them in my car. I prefer the cloth bags myself, but I've been scatterbrained about using them all the time.

[bklyncowgirl]

3. I used to hate them, then I got a dog.

A plentiful supply of plastic bags is essential when walking in suburban NJ with a canine companion who believes in sharing the wealth around the neighborhood.

A little here, a little there, now let me poop on the neighbor's shrubs.

[Heidi]

5. Thank you for cleaning up after your canine companion.

Lotsa people don't, but I sure appreciate those who do. :thumbsup:

[Olney Blue]

6. LOL- that's the main function of my plastic bags too!

[Lobster Martini]

7. I feel your pain

Paper may be more environmentally friendly, but it is a whole lot harder to pick that up with a paper bag. (Southern N.J., incidentally, and a ten pound fox terrier. Don't need really big bags.)

[treestar]

14. Would it be cost prohibitive to put handles on the paper bags?

Sort of like grocery store bags.

though the cloth bag is the best solution, IMO. They could give them out in grocery stores and people could bring them back. So you could stop by the grocery store without having to go back home for the cloth bags if the decision was last minute.

[Greyhound]

28. Trader Joe's uses paper with handles, and if you save them and return them

they will give you a small discount (5 0r 10 cents) and reuse them. They also give you a discount for bringing your own durable bags.

[treestar]

40. Great idea - good for them!

[Dorian Gray]

31. In my store they sell them.

They aren't that cheap, either. I think both of the ones I bought were four or five dollars.

[slackmaster]

16. I also use plastic newspaper bags for that

But since San Diego has such a limited rainy season, we don't get many of those over the course of a year.

[TahitiNut]

20. We get far too many of them. What's your address? I'll send 'em.

:rofl:

[slackmaster]

21. How about if I just send you my dog instead?

She was dumped on me by a "friend" who needed someone to take care of the beast "for a little while", then left town.

[TahitiNut]

19. A pocketful of cheapo sandwich bags ... I even donated 'em to other dog-walkers.

Wrap it over hand - grab - turn inside out. Wahlah. :silly:

[bklyncowgirl]

35. I'm doing the environmentally responsible thing--reusing something that would otherwise get dumped.

I suppose if I was the organized sort I could take them back to a store that has bag recycling but I'm lucky if I remember to bring my wallet when I go shopping.

I can't see using a brand new virgin plastic bag to pick up dog poop.

[jayfish]

42. That And Diaper Disposal.

There never seemed to be enough of either to exhaust our supply though.

Jay

[Heidi]

4. I take my own shopping bags to the grocery store.

And if I forget them, I have to buy some (choice of paper or plastic) from the store in order to get my groceries home. :hi:

Off to check the poll. :hi:

[obaman08]

9. Some countries adopted this long ago..

I was in one in Europe that would charge you to use a plastic bag, so most people brought their own reusable bags.

[Frustratedlady]

10. My biggest gripe with plastic bags is the litter.

Plastic bags are littering our countryside. They fly out of the backs of pickups, people use them to throw litter from their cars or dispose of their fast food containers and they catch under bushes or even hang from trees on a windy day. Besides, they hold so little, you end up with tons of them with each trip to the store. Dump them!

[slackmaster]

17. They weigh so little I doubt that anyone has "tons" of them

But your point about litter is valid.

Here in California we have fines up to $1,000 for littering.

California also has serious budget problems in addition to litter.

There has to be some kind of connection we could make, if I could only figure it out.

:dunce:

[semillama]

11. Reusable cloth bags are the way to go

Plastic bags have some advantages over paper and vice versa. Both are recyclable - most plastic bags in the US are #2 plastics, the most commonly accepted plastic at recycling stations. Of course, paper bags are also recyclable - I used to use them for taking my recyclables out.

Plastic bags actually take less energy to produce than paper and take up less space in landfills when they are discarded as trash. Of course, the big problem is the plastic bags that get out into the environment and end up killing animals as a result of ingestion or entanglement.

I strongly advise starting a collection of cloth bags - usually pretty cheap to acquire and the ones specifically made for groceries hold quite a bit. I also use the freebie bags from the conferences I attend. The only problem is getting into the habit of bringing them with you to the store!

[donco6]

12. I like them

I reuse them for a million things.

[earth mom]

13. A local store here sells cloth bags for $1. I'm sure most areas have them these days. nt

[slackmaster]

15. Two, no THREE reasons I like plastic grocery bags, and I voted NO.

1. Excellent for picking up dog shit, pulling cat turds out of the litter box, etc.

2. They are fully recyclable. Any that I don't use for Option 1 above (or 3 below) get recycled.

3. I use them to line small wastebaskets. Keeps everything cleaner, and reduces the problem of loose pieces of trash flying around when the truck picks it up.

A complete ban would be inappropriate IMO. Charge a deposit on them, enforce anti-littering laws, whatever.

[SmokingJacket]

22. I hate those plastic shit bags.

For some reason I cannot fathom, people leave plastic bags filled with dog shit along the sidewalk and jogging path I use -- I suppose they think, Who wants to carry this bag o' shit on my walk? I'll pick it up on my way back!

Right! EVERY DAY I see bags of shit just lying there, NOT getting recycled, and the shit NOT decaying.

Back in the old days at least it fertilized the lawn...

[slackmaster]

23. For the record

I carry my bags o' shit home with me and put them in MY trash can.

I would never leave one lying around, nor would I even put it in your trash.

[SmokingJacket]

25. I guess you don't live

in my neighborhood. ;)

[slackmaster]

26. We have a $1,000 fine for littering in California

And leaving dog poop on someone's property is a misdemeanor.

The streets and sidewalks are a lot cleaner in California than in many other states I have visted. I spent most of a year in southern New Mexico in the late '60s. I was appalled at the amount of trash lining the highways there. I hope they've cleaned it up. They made Iron Eyes Cody cry.

[SmokingJacket]

34. I remember those ads. I grew up in Southern California

and there was a *powerful* anti-litter culture there, and then. I once dropped a popsicle wrapper on the ground and was brutally taunted by my friends! Never did that again.

Litter is a BIG problem in many North Eastern cities. It might be getting worse. I remember visiting a residential neighborhood in Boston and being shocked by how gross the sidewalks and yards were, but now my town is catching up.

I agree that focusing on the littering issue should come first...

[SmokingJacket]

24. There are biodegradable alternatives, such as starch bags.

When we visited the Corn Palace gift shop, they gave out bags made of corn starch! They had a slightly different texture, but would be ideal for most plastic purposes.

And for most uses, cloth bags or reusable cardboard boxes for larger purchases make perfect sense.

I have about a dozen cloth bags that I use for groceries -- they're easier to carry than paper and much sturdier than plastic, and I got most of them free.

[slackmaster]

27. I'd be OK with those

Kind of like the corn starch packing peanuts, I assume.

[Greyhound]

30. They are specifically excluded from re-cycling here. it is very frustrating. n/t

[riderinthestorm]

18. It's got to be plastic - especially for those of us who walk any kind of distance with groceries

or who live in walk-ups. Paper bags are impossible to handle easily, even if you have a handle on the paper you can't fill them too full or they tear while walking. Getting groceries in the rain with paper is virtually impossible.

Cloth bags are a great alternative but you have to remember them and/or carry them everywhere with you every single day for those items that you inevitably "forget" and have to stop and pick up.

[SharonRB]

32. I always get paper bags

My pet peeve is when they start bagging without asking me what kind I want, they get a few things in plastic and then I say I want paper. So then they take the stuff they've already put in plastic and put the plastic bag inside a paper bag. Duh! That kind of defeats the purpose, you Moran!!!!

[dkofos]

33. I like them. I reuse them and recycle them.

[bklyncowgirl]

36. Aldi makes you bring your own bags or purchase theirs

It's a good system if you're the organized sort. They also have a system where you pay $.25 for a shopping cart & get it back when you return it. They claim it saves money--their prices are very low so it might just be true.

[Lugnut]

37. I hate the plastic bags

I opt for paper when they're available and I recycle those until they're in shreds.

[Gormy Cuss]

38. SF made the practical choice-- banning only a subset of 'plastic' bags,

namely those made from petroleum products. The starch-based ones are still allowed. The standard grocery store bags which hold maybe three items have always been a pain in the neck. Both Whole Foods and Trader Joe's paper bags have handles and hold about 3 times the volume of the average Safeway bag. Both stores also have plastic bags that are thicker mil and capable of holding quite a few groceries, and both stores offer incentives to reuse or use cloth or mesh bags. Both sell reusable sturdy bags for about a dollar.

[dysfunctional press]

39. i love the plastic grocery bags- i use them for trash bags at home.

and i get so many that i usually double or triple- bag the stuff.

[bikebloke]

41. String bags

I use string (or net) bags. Once outside, I loaded up my backpack and strap it to my bike rack. For items that aren't bungy cord proof and squash, the string bags tie nicely onto the cords. The grocery stores clerks don't like them. When they gripe, I tell them that plastic is a petroleum product and we're fighting a war to steal it.

[bigwillq]

43. Done

Would you back a ban on petroleum-based plastic shopping bags?
Yes. Bag recycling isn't working, and it's easy enough to bring reusable bags.
84.1%
No. We should step up recycling efforts before instituting bans. Corn-based bags are too expensive.
15.9%
Total votes: