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California May Ban Paper Receipts Next, But It Won’t Make Much Of A Difference
Hotair ^
| 01/21/2019
| John Sexton
Posted on 01/21/2019 5:51:15 PM PST by SeekAndFind
A couple weeks ago a California Assemblyman introduced a bill that would ban paper receipts in the state. To be precise, the bill would require the customer to ask for one, similar to the state’s straw ban. The announcement made some news, mostly for the poor staffer who was stuck wearing a life-size receipt over his head.
As with the straw ban, there are alternatives for those who still want a receipt but don’t want the piece of paper. Many big retailers already offer e-receipts. I can think of two local retailers that send the receipts to my email rather than printing it. The downside, of course, is that you’ll need to give the retailer your e-mail address and that means you’ll likely be getting constant advertising pitches and sale updates. Friday, an opinion columnist for Bloomberg argued there’s another problem with the plan to ban receipts: It won’t accomplish much of anything.
In reality, the Skip the Slip measure would have almost no impact on either. Instead, like the plastic-straw ban that preceded it, and which it emulates, the receipt ban is simply another low-impact environmental campaign that asks little of Californians and will accomplish less. Worse, it diverts attention and effort from bigger and far more pressing waste and recycling issues that are negatively impacting the state right now…
The widely circulated claims about the environmental impacts of paper receipts are even more suspect. For example, Green Americas estimate of how many paper receipts are produced for Americans came from a now-defunct electronic receipt company and “likely assessed production for 2009 or 2010,” according to a Green America representative. The group plans to update its report using 2015 data that suggests only half as much paper — 314,000 tons — is used in receipt-making…
Those might still sound like big numbers. But, in context, they’re not. Even 314,000 tons of paper receipts amount to less than .08 percent of the more than 400 million tons of all paper products — receipts to cardboard — used globally on an annual basis.
So if you could eliminate all paper receipts in America that would be less than 1/1,000th of the paper and cardboard used on an annual basis. That’s something, but it’s not a terribly significant change. As the Bloomberg author goes on to point out, the most significant amount of paper and cardboard trash these days is coming from big online retailers like Amazon who ship more than one million boxes out every day (often much later than whatever item is contained inside).
If you really wanted to do something about paper waste, you’d give Amazon an incentive to deliver items without a box for a few cents less and push the delivery services who rely on Amazon to add lockers to their trucks to hold the unboxed items during delivery. There’s no reason some of these items can’t be delivered without a box. All of that to say, paper and cardboard waste is a real problem but the solution is probably going to come from adjustments by the market leaders, not from silly grandstanding by California politicians.
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: ban; california; paperreceipts
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To: LegendHasIt
Channel 148 is about the only reason I keep XM alive.
I know most of that is out there free and the quality varies. Every so often some new vintage gem is played I probably never would have heard of.
The trivia after the various episodes is a plus.
41
posted on
01/21/2019 7:25:19 PM PST
by
wally_bert
(We're low on dimes in fun city.)
To: SeekAndFind
How many CVS receipts does it take to reach the moon??
- Answer: 5.
42
posted on
01/21/2019 7:25:41 PM PST
by
Yaelle
To: Pelham
I have some of those in YT history somewhere.
Another favorite - Broadway Is My Beat.
43
posted on
01/21/2019 7:26:24 PM PST
by
wally_bert
(We're low on dimes in fun city.)
To: SeekAndFind
The other day I received in the mail a good example of how the government California is reducing their own paper waste. I requested that they send me printed tourist info and state maps. They conserved state tree resources by having the tourist stuff printed in Iowa and mailed from Iowa. Not one California tree suffered from my request, nor was any California pollution done as a result of the printing operation.
44
posted on
01/21/2019 7:28:50 PM PST
by
redfreedom
(The only thing consistent about liberal logic is the inconsistency of their logic.)
To: Yaelle
45
posted on
01/21/2019 7:31:54 PM PST
by
x
To: Nailbiter
Im sure they would consider banning certain people but the pols are addicted to increasing the state population. Though illegals cannot legally vote, they do, and they count towards congressional districts unless President Trump can get the census citizenship issue worked out.
46
posted on
01/21/2019 7:45:38 PM PST
by
caseinpoint
(Don't get thickly involved in thin things.)
To: D Rider
There will have to be a George Harrison song ban now!
To: SeekAndFind
Why don’t the Leftist just voluntarily go without using toilet paper. This is critical you know. Do it for Gaia. Do it today.
Oh, and don’t even think about shaking my hand.
48
posted on
01/21/2019 8:23:17 PM PST
by
DoughtyOne
(01/26/18 DJIA 30 stocks $26,616.71 48.794% > open 11/07/16 $215.71 from 50% increase in 1.2183 yrs)
To: DIRTYSECRET
I do believe receipt are on recycled paper. Cant really write on them using a pen.Maybe in your state, but in CA they are usually printed on high-quality thermo-paper. (At least, grocery store receipts are.)
Regards,
49
posted on
01/21/2019 8:42:34 PM PST
by
alexander_busek
(Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.)
To: SeekAndFind
How much does the guy make who is wearing the receipt?
BTW Look at the size of that receipt. What a waste.
To: SeekAndFind
California May Ban Paper Receipts Next, But It Wont Make Much Of A Difference Oh, piff.
Virtue signaling is it's own reward.
51
posted on
01/21/2019 10:08:31 PM PST
by
gogeo
(The Repubs may not always deserve to win, but the RATs always deserve to lose.)
To: SeekAndFind
The Dude wearing the big Tag must have drawn the short (paper) straw.
52
posted on
01/21/2019 10:15:14 PM PST
by
Kickass Conservative
(Democracy, two Wolves and one Sheep deciding what's for Dinner.)
To: SeekAndFind
Hoping to sell our House in Southern CA (or Northern Mexico depending on your viewpoint) ASAP.
Moving closer to my Wife’s Relatives in MS and renting for a while before we decide where we will end up buying a new House.
Could be Idaho, could be South Carolina, the world is our Oyster. No Blue State on the agenda.
53
posted on
01/21/2019 10:20:16 PM PST
by
Kickass Conservative
(Democracy, two Wolves and one Sheep deciding what's for Dinner.)
To: LYDIAONTARIO
There will have to be a George Harrison song ban now!Now that would be un-American!...;)
54
posted on
01/21/2019 11:22:09 PM PST
by
D Rider
To: SeekAndFind
Time to ban paper magazines and newspapers? Save the planet, wipe out the liberal media!
55
posted on
01/21/2019 11:24:09 PM PST
by
wizwor
To: alexander_busek
You can write on the back of the thermal paper, but not the front.
56
posted on
01/22/2019 3:36:12 AM PST
by
jmcenanly
("The more corrupt the state, the more laws." Tacitus, Publius Cornelius)
To: SeekAndFind
We need to think outside of the box on this one.
First it is not about saving paper. That is just the cover.
What it is about is the ability to track your every purchase.
You don’t think someone will not be gathering up all that data?
It is bad enough they can track with credit card but if this law is passed they can then begin to track cash purchases by keeping tabs on email accounts.
How long will it be before they make a voluntary act mandatory - you must by law give your email account before every purchase?
57
posted on
01/22/2019 4:19:57 AM PST
by
CIB-173RDABN
(I am not an expert in anything, and my opinion is just that, an opinion. I may be wrong.)
To: LegendHasIt
“they should ban junk mail”
Good idea. Also, how about paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, food and other merchandise wrapping, paper straws (which they want to bring back), newspapers, corrugated cardboard.
To: SeekAndFind
San Francisco needs a 9.0 earthquake to restore the city to a pristine condition.
America would be a better place with the city destroyed
59
posted on
01/22/2019 4:54:37 AM PST
by
bert
( (KE. N.P. N.C. +12) Princess Gray Beaver, for President?)
To: D Rider
You’re a poet and don’t know it
But your feet show because they’re long fellows
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