Nanny State DANG!
Posted on 06/16/2015 12:58:18 PM PDT by Olog-hai
In an effort to protect the environment, Austin,Texas passed an ordinance banning single-use plastic bags in 2013.
However, a recent review concludes that Austin’s bag ban has backfired, creating more negative effects on the environment than the plastic bags it outlawed. […]
Two years after the bag ban was implemented, the city asked the Austin Resource Recovery group to investigate its effectiveness. Their June 10 report, written by Aaron Waters, states that while the ban was successful in lowering the amount of single-use plastic bags made from high-density polyethylene in city landfills, it was actually worse for the environment overall.
“The amount of single use plastic bags has been reduced, both in count and by weight,” Waters states. “However, in their place, the larger 4 mil [4⁄1,000 of an inch] bags have replaced them as the go to standard when the reusable bag is left at home. This reusable plastic bag, along with the paper bag, has a very high carbon footprint compared to the single use bag.” …
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
The carbon footprint of a plastic bag is negligible compared to paper. It takes less energy to make a plastic bag than paper. More importantly, once a plastic bag is made, its carbon is locked up forever. A paper bag will eventually biodegrade, thereby yielding CO2 emissions.
One other thing. Plastic bags make great liners for small waste baskets. Quit giving them out for free, and I have to start buying liners.
The ban is incredibly stupid, and that pretty well describes Austin politics.
“Pardon me while I laugh my ass off.”
What goes, “Ha ha ha, thump?”
Lurker laughing his ass off.
No way. Being an apt dweller, I like bringing in all my stuff in at once rather than making multiple trips, and I can reuse the bags for my lunches at work.
I reuse the majority of “single use” plastic bags for trash can liners, trash bags for in the car, pet “gifts”, storing holiday decorations, bringing items to a party, etc. The rest get recycled at the local grocery store.
I wonder if they printed “free bathroom trash can liner” or other uses on the same bags they could get away whit still using them?
The only plastic in fast food establishments to-go packaging is normally limited to beverage covers and condiment packets.
Dallas got rid of the plastic bag ban, too.
Emily, you're an idiot. HEB was named after the son's founder, Henry E. Butt. Their motto, "Here Everything's Better", came about just a few years ago. The old joke was HEB and going to buy out Piggly Wiggly and the new name would be Wiggly Butt.
As for uber lib Austin, and their most fitting motto "Keepin' Austin Weird", deserves everything it gets.
Hey, we have this city councilman here named Dwaine Carraway, was mayor for a while. Guy is as nutty as Sheila Jackson Lee, all the way. He is all po’d because the 50 cent plastic bag charge he got has been shot down and is no more.
I’m not worried about plastic bags, it is the plastic bottles and beer bottles that I see laying around, a lot more of those than plastic bags. Maggots drive through my neighborhood and throw crap in my yard just about every day. I rarely get a plastic bag but paper McDonald’s bags are a routine.
Nanny State DANG!
Font, not the scary stuff.)
Easy. Shop here, where unless you brought your own e-coli sacks, they put every order in one or more of these:
At Christmas they print holiday gift tags on the bags that you can cut out. I save every single TJ bag and use them for other things, including oversize gift bags, and for recycling the confetti from our shredder, since our recycle pick-up won't let you use plastic bags for that.
That's a very good idea -- a list of many uses. Unfortunately, if some lunatic used the bag improperly to do one of those tasks, it would probably be grounds for a huge lawsuit. This nation has gone crazy.
I pay a dime for every paper bag I buy to carry groceries in.
I dont even notice it.
” Extra plastic bags I take back to the grocery store recycle box at their entrances.”
—
I do that and also give some to our local library that likes to have them on hand for people who need them.
.
“free bathroom trash can liner”
Great idea!
I was going to mention Trader Joe paper bags - good I read all posts. Thanks for posting a photo of it.
I will take these bags over plastic. Plenty of plastic bags from other stores.
I place our newspapers in TJ bags and when stuffed with many, I give them to someone who takes them to the animal shelter.
It’s gotten bizarre the subjects we ‘argue’ about - - -
It’s not the token amount of money that is the problem.
I live in an area where a full 90 percent of all voters chose Baraw Obama..in the last election.
This makes me an expert of just how CRAZY these feel good useless Eco Facist nincompoops “gestures” truly are.
Helping the environment was not the real goal.
Libs feeling self-righteous for WANTING to help the environment was the goal.
And they’ve achieved that, so they won’t even consider the negative actual consequences.
I went to Lowes in Austin and purchased a bunch of plumbing parts
All wrapped in plastic. I got to the checkout and realized they had banned plastic bags. I had to buy a plastic bucket to tote them all home in!
Then I got home and threw all the plastic wrappers in the trash.
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