Posted on 03/01/2008 7:38:27 PM PST by Sub-Driver
State to ban plastic bags by 2009
March 02, 2008 01:53pm Article from: AAP
FREE single-use plastic bags will be banned in South Australia by the end of the year, regardless of whether the Federal Government moves on the issue, Premier Mike Rann said today.
"We started the anti-plastic bag fight and we're pushing ahead regardless of whether a nationally consistent approach is agreed to in the meantime," Mr Rann said.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said in January he would pursue the issue nationally by the end of this year, either by imposing a levy on bags or banning them completely.
Environment ministers from around the nation will meet in Melbourne in April to discuss a national approach.
The SA Government today said legislation was being drafted to ban the bags from January 1, 2009, and would be introduced to State Parliament next month.
"The time has come to lead by example and I am urging all states to follow this important step in ridding our environment of these bags that contribute to greenhouse gases, clog up landfill, litter our streets and streams as well as kill sea life," Mr Rann said.
"A ban in our state alone could see almost 400 million less plastic bags entering the SA waste and litter streams every year.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
A hunnert of 'em weigh about an ounce, cost a penny/100 to produce.
I well remember the “Switch to Plastic Bags” wars of the 70’s where is was very un-PC to support paper bags. Landfill problems, water pollution and general efficiency were the buzz words from 30 years ago.
Now the worm turns on plastic bags.
I suspected that the oil lobby funded the enviro-wackos to oppose paper bags.
Would not be surprised if the paper lobby was funding this current waste of newspaper.
How about butcher paper? Nowadays, that's a craft store item, but it got its name for a reason. No coatings, no ink, no bleaching.
I remember some of that, but only dimly -- I was pretty young at the time. The paper industry adapted. I can remember when recycled paper was a fringe product, expensive, and it was pretty awful. It was gray, inconsistent, and tended to rip at pencil point. People only bought it too make a point.
Now, if you look at any paper product, almost all have some recycled content. It's become routine, and it's become more efficient due to better technology and larger scale. Recycled paper isn't just for hippies any more -- just check that ream of copier paper you got from Staples.
I suspected that the oil lobby funded the enviro-wackos to oppose paper bags.
I wouldn't be surprised. There are all sort of subtle lobbying games that we don't hear about.
I never thought of consumer prefrence. I do usually by a pepsi bottle, so I have enough to wash down my food with. Maybe they are not making enough money off of the cans to justify having them in the front of the store. We still have them in the back next to our break room. I can see most wanting to buy the cans with their lunch instead to save money.
Glass bottles are a good idea — you can recycle those easily
The trees used to make paper are raised on farms specifically for paper pulp. This whole “save a tree” thing is ridiculous — they don’t cut down old-growth forests for paper.
Wood must be brought out from the forest to the pulp mill, taking fossil fuels in the chain saws, logging machinery, logging trucks, and the machinery to turn the logs into pulp. It takes lots of energy to turn the pulp into paper. Even the transport of the huge paper rolls to the bag making plants takes fossil fuels. Once the paper is make into bags (more energy to run the machinery), they are loaded on trucks for distribution. Because paper weighs more that plastic, distribution costs are higher.
Finally,has anyone considered the amount of plastic that is used in common packaging? Plastic is used to envelop every refrigerator manufactured. Plastic surrounds every TV big or small. That IPod came in a plastic bag. People have to buy special sissors to cut everything from batteries to diapers out of plastic. There is miles and miles and tons and tons of plastic shrink wrap used to bundle up the billions of pallets of material being shipped around the world and cross country. That wide screen TV you bought last Christmas came in a box that had styrofoam packing in a box that was banded with plastic straps. There is enough plastic straps being used for palleting cartons to go around earth several times over. The amount of plastic for such packaging would dwarf the tiny amount of plastic bags people use to carry the little food they can afford home from market. And this type of packaging does go into the land fill. At least the little piggy socialist subjects could throw a few more of those plastic grocery bags in the recycling barrel on their way in to buy their organic pleasures.
When they ban plastic bags, only criminals will have plastic bags.
I thought we were using plastic bags to save trees?
A friend of mine invented those doggy-doo bags made from cornstarch that dissolve in your toilet so you can flush them. They’re all the rage at the local dog parks.
He’s a genius. He’s also my “wine and cheese guy.” Luckily, he doesn’t mix up orders when I place them, LOL!
I hear what yer sayin', but aren't corn prices high enough already? :)
This is one time I agree with with them.
We could do without the plastic to cut down on oil consumption and land fill space. I throw away at least 10 a week. I did see something made from them once.
We have become attached to this form of packaging
1. Cut down on scanner errors
2. Keep products safe
3. Cut down on shop lifting
When auto scanners were introduced, they found that many errors could still be made when scanning fresh produce and meat. Therefore they started packaging meat in little trays with plastic. they found that not only could they hide an inferior part of the cut but checkers didn’t accidently punch the code for hamburger in when it was a tenderloin.
When you take it home you must re-package it if you want to freeze it more than a month to avoid freezer burn. So you wrap it in freezer paper or put it in another freezer plastic bag.
When you buy produce if you don’t put it in a plastic bag it will roll out of the cart. Again the plastic bags are encouraged for each item so that the checker doesn’t charge onion prices for out of season strawberries.
Then we have those ever obnoxious hard plastic containers that keep people from stealing an expensive item. These need an exacto knife to open them.
Most of the packaging is not for the benefit of the customer but the benefit of the grocery store. With the exception of the packaging of medications to thwart someone poisoning them.
I like plastic bags. I use them every day and I certainly hope laws aren’t passed to outlaw them.
Glass recycles well but its weight is a factor. More weight equals more trucks/trains/fuel to distribute the product.
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