So the plastic bags. The ones that are everywhere. Every store you go into, and on the side of most roads. There is a storm brewing out there about these bags.
There is a movement to rid stores of them, so you either bring your own bags, or figure out how to balance 40 items on your head as you walk out to the car. Other areas are proposing to just tax the bags. Hit people in the pocket book. Of course there are two sides to every story, there always is. So how do we feel about this?
It started out as a wild idea from California on the west coast. (Here is the article about the state wide ban in California.) I am not sure anyone thought the next place to adopt this idea would be smack dab across the country in Portland Maine! But here we go, Portland is doing this now as well, here is the article, and you can read some of the concerns and feedback as well.
So is it a waste of money? Is it a feel good legislation? or is it a useful way to reduce trash? You be the judge. I just like to bring up the topics to see what peoples thoughts are on the subjects...conversations are always the path to awareness.
On a personal note, it is a huge source of tension in my household. I am forever buying new reusable bags, (because I forget the 800 of them that I have already bought at the house) and I can't bring myself to get the plastic. I unload it, and my husband looks at me and rolls his eyes, thinking that even if we were charged $.10 per-bag, we would have made out better than me having to buy new ones all the time!
My husband, never remembers the bags either, but goes for the plastic instead. I am not judging... I am not, if you walk into my house, I have the typical sock like thing full of plastic bags, and try to make myself feel better about it because we use them in our trash cans.
I just hate the plastic bags to be honest, all environmental thoughts aside, I get frustrated with the fact that all my stuff falls together in them and squishes. I don't care how you pack those things, you are going to squish your bread, and then you end up with that sandwich that is only 2" wide because you cant ever re-stretch your bread out, believe me I have tried to no avail.
My favorite complaint however, is when the plastic bags are so flimsy that they can only pack one orange in each one. You buy 6 oranges and come out with 12 bag because they double bag each one. I may or may not be exaggerating here, but honestly it can happen close to that.
For now I can be thankful that Market Basket will give me a box for my stuff if I forget the bags at home... again...
The reality is, there is a question here. Is it worth trying to get rid of them, or is it a futile battle in which the plastic bag will prevail? We are faced every day with how we live on this earth and the fact that we have an impact. We always will. Where and how we choose to limit those impacts, is certainly where all the questions and legislations are going to brew.
What are your thoughts?
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