it takes SEVEN truckloads of paper bags to deliver the same amount of bags in ONE truckload of plastic bags...
Posted on 12/04/2011 5:38:44 PM PST by SmithL
On his official website, San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi starts his list of accomplishments with this item: "Plastic Bag Ban: First-in-the-Nation ban on plastic bags in chain grocery stores and drug stores, which sparked similar legislation around the world from Oakland to Canada to Paris to Beijing." In his final month as supervisor before he becomes sheriff, Mirkarimi wants to expand the ban so that it applies to all stores and requires retailers to charge customers for bags at the checkout counter.
"First in the nation" is rarely a good thing for a law. First, it means the measure is probably San Francisco-style social engineering. Second, its target is virgin territory probably because there's been no need for a law. Third, the measure may cost someone else their job and surely will be paid out of your pocket.
Exhibit A: San Francisco's groundbreaking Happy Meal law. McDonald's got around the ordinance that banned free toys with meals that don't meet City Hall's nutritional standards by announcing it will charge customers an extra 10 cents if they want a toy with the food.
Exhibit B: The Mirkarimi plan. Supervisors will vote on Plastic Bag 2.0 this month. It comes with a mandatory charge of at least 10 cents per bag starting July 1, possibly rising to 25 cents in 2014. Retailers get to keep your dimes.
Mirkarimi told me that San Francisco no longer is in the lead when it comes to bag laws. Other governments - Ireland, Beijing, Marin County - that followed Ess Eff's lead are "now blowing by us. Their laws are much more vigorous."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Was it not liberals who wanted these plastic bags in the first place to save trees?
Same in Portland. I snapped a picture of the bag ban because I didn’t think anyone would believe it. So I told the cashier I planned on burning my paper bags, ensuring we all have dirtier air and water. Not a clean burn either, one of those chunky charcoal puffs in the air burnings.
Maybe customers should refuse to shop at stores that charge money for a plastic bag.
This is the origin of this law, Eliana an environmental fanatic wants us not to use plastic bags.”
Looks like SF can thank some self righteous 3rd world soap opera “star” for the bag jihad. LOL.
it takes SEVEN truckloads of paper bags to deliver the same amount of bags in ONE truckload of plastic bags...
If you weren't so far away, you could just pitch them on my tire fire.
My lib son who lives in Boston was whining that I burn files at our farm instead of putting them in the shredding bin at my office until I pointed out that the trucks that pick up the bins use fossil fuel as do the machines that shred the papers and that it all ends up in the landfill anyway whereas by a clean hot fire at my farm, out in the country, it’s gone in an hour with very little pollution.
I’m as environmentally reckless as the next guy but I really like the cloth bags. They cost me 50¢ apiece and are practically indestructible.
Thanks, Chode.
I’m reminded of a similar ‘discussion’ about 20 years ago in the Midwest. A poultry processor for whom I worked was approached about the use of foam egg cartons versus the former fiber board cartons. The argument was the the foam egg cartons were ‘evil’ because of 1) production cost, 2) use of precious ‘non renewable’ resources in production, and 3) exceedingly long decomposition times in landfills.
We went back to our supplier, and found that they were dealing with the same kinds of issues all across the country.
Their solution? The truth...
Cost to produce was less than 60% the cost of fiber board cartons, and the transportation was improved by a factor of five; ie, five times more foam cartons on a truck than the fiber board. That just left the landfill issue, and the supplier’s response to the ‘environmentalists’ was to offer to support their recycle efforts...which cut the cost of the foam carton by another 12% or so.
Do you wash your bags in hot water after every use?
Otherwise, according to the net, they’ll be covered in E. Coli very quickly.
i've never met a RAT yet that was a smart as they thought they were...
like was posted, you ABSOLUTELY have to wash them to prevent contamination, and even if you do, most don't...
Perfect
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch#Sources_of_pollutants
How come he didn’t mention the Happy meal fiasco that got shoved up his butt.
Lol.. Good one! I think our strategy of creating dirtier air and water is most effective when spread out across the country. there is some appeal to a large fire, if the contaminants spread to our liberal friends.
Folks if I read this article right, the retailers can charge for the bags and keep the money they get from the bags. This seems like a winner for the stores. Maybe the stores will do what McDonald’s did and donate the money to charity. Fat chance.
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