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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Boston Eyes Plastic Bag Ban (Environmentalist Rejoice.....Maybe.!) |
| 2007-04-26 |
| According to Fox TV in Boston, a similar ordinance was passed in San Francisco. Not to be outdone, a new twist might be that there may a be a upwards to a 15 cent fee is you still choose to use plastic. Something the State Legislature is considering. So I guess if you use paper, it's better for the planet and environment. I am waiting for the global warming crowd to start protesting over this. Absolutely bizarre if you ask me. But then again it is Massachusetts, where nothing is a surprise anymore. Sarcasm On.. I guess this means that the rampant violence in Boston has been finally been solved by the due diligence efforts of the City Council and Mayor. Sarcasm off.. BOSTON -- The Boston City Council is lining up support for a proposed ban on plastic bags at supermarkets, pharmacies and other retail stores. Councilor Robert Consalvo has sponsored the measure, which has already been endorsed by nine of 12 council members. He told The Boston Globe that littered bags dot trees, lots and sidewalks across the city and pose an environmental hazard. "They end up everywhere," Consalvo said. "They blow in trees, they're floating in Boston Harbor. They're an environmental nightmare. We need to rid our city of these plastic bags." Consalvo's measure also proposes increased recycling for grocery bags. Mayor Thomas Menino would have to sign the measure before it becomes law. Roughly 100 billion plastic bags are buried in landfills each year in the U.S., according to Worldwatch Institute, an environmental research agency. San Francisco recently outlawed the bags, while many other cities including Phoenix and Portland, Ore., are considering bans. State Sen. Brian A. Joyce, D-Milton, told the newspaper he planned to file a bill in the Legislature that would charge a fee -- 2 cents in 2008 and rising to 15 cents in seven years -- to customers who use plastic bags at supermarkets with annual profits more than $1 million. Industry groups that lobby for supermarkets, pharmacies, and convenience stores oppose the bills. They say many customers recycle the bags by using them as trash bags or to pick up dog litter. "We're trying to use a hammer to kill a fly," said Christopher Flynn, president of the Massachusetts Food Association, a supermarket group. "You're targeting and making the plastic bags a scapegoat for litter and environmental issues, which is not the ultimate problem. The problem is individuals and their own behavior." |
| Posted by:Flaviling Glomose5988 |
| #19 Plastic bags alla way, baybee!! Gaia's my beeatch! |
| Posted by: badanov 2007-04-26 23:34 |
| #18 Thanks, #17 tw. It's http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/, 2x4; thanks for asking. It's weird - sometimes my website link shows up in comments with my name, sometimes not, even though it shows in the "website" slot before I hit submit. Oh, well - that's not what Rantburg's for anyway. I do need to get off my dead a** and get the site updated and a shopping cart added - one of these days. Every time I start to do that, either we go crazy at work or - in the case of last fall - I end up with surgery. Work hours just picked up again. Hmmmmm. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-04-26 23:08 |
| #17 The link is right next to her name at the bottom of her post, twobyfour dear. It begins with http:// |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-04-26 22:55 |
| #16 pretty bags Is that a euphemism for wives? Only in Saudi Arabia |
| Posted by: DMFD 2007-04-26 22:47 |
| #15 pretty bags Is that a euphemism for wives? [ducking and running for cover] |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2007-04-26 22:40 |
| #14 Barb, of course we do care about pretty, although pretty bags may be at the bottom of our lists. ;-) Anyway, gotta link? |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-04-26 22:11 |
| #13 "A holder like the one show below helps immeasurably. Get two if you reuse your plastic "t-shirt" bags. My ability to reuse has gone up some 25%-50% by purchasing one of the holders." Gee, #12 Zen, I make (and sell) fabric plastic bag holders (bag-bags, I call them ;-p) that are much prettier than that. Cheaper, too, I'll bet. Of course, guys don't care about pretty.... |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-04-26 21:20 |
| #12 I use paper wherever possible. Items like meat or ice that might leak go into plastic first. I then use the paper bags to contain garbage or recyclables for disposal. What plastic bags I do take home are aggregated for inclusion in single stream recycling. They are always disposed of in a large bundle to make sorting easier. A great way to conserve on plastics use is to use your plastic produce bags instead of ziplocs or sandwich bags. I use less than 50-100 ziplocs a year by reusing my produce bags. Once they are contaminated, I then save them for disposal of messy items like coffee grounds. A holder like the one show below helps immeasurably. Get two if you reuse your plastic "t-shirt" bags. My ability to reuse has gone up some 25%-50% by purchasing one of the holders.  |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-04-26 21:09 |
| #11 I think Boston ought to ban toilet paper. Using your left hand to clean up is so much more environmentally sound. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2007-04-26 21:07 |
#10 Good move Boston. Plastic bags are known to attract Mooninites. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2007-04-26 20:39 |
| #9 Wal-Mart, hell, #8 DB. The local grocery stores have used bag depositories out front, too. And one of them gives you a 5 cents credit (I think - it might be a little less) for each paper bag you bring to reuse on your shopping trip. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-04-26 19:54 |
| #8 They can be recycled. Wal-Mart has a huge box in front to put your used plastic bags, but then Wal-Mart is Evil. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2007-04-26 13:36 |
| #7 Me? I ask for paper-in-plastic. It's the best of both worlds: handles from the plastic and stiffer sides from the paper. Plus it annoys the baggers and it's childishly satisfying to rebel against the Goracle and his minions. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2007-04-26 13:10 |
| #6 HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! I've always hated those and used paper when it wasn't PC! I remember the 80s. Was in Russia in 1998, they charged then. Oh, the Humanity of putting all those Chicoms out of biz. |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2007-04-26 12:34 |
| #5 Can I use plastic bags if I bring my own from under the kitchen sink? They accumulate so much faster than can be used to line garbage cans that I've taken to using them for insulation down there. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-04-26 12:19 |
| #4 This is going on in Austin, TX also. City Council is doing "all things green." Me, I learned a long time ago, paper is easier to carry, and better on the back. How do you carry paper bags? In your arms. How do you carry plastic bags? Arms down, with that heavy plastic bag (sometimes more) hanging from each hand. Interesting, in Austin, when I ask for paper bags, I get a weird look! Guess that is about to change! |
| Posted by: Sherry 2007-04-26 12:12 |
| #3 I'm surprised there hasn't been a push to replace recycled paper bags with hemp paper. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-04-26 10:47 |
| #2 State Sen. Brian A. Joyce, D-Milton... Wow, my state senator appears in Rantburg! Figures he'd find a way for the state to try to cash in on this scam. Must have a few relatives that ain't on the payroll yet. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-04-26 10:18 |
| #1 I've been trying to cut down on the number of plastic bags when I shop. They do seem sort of pointless for only one or two items. When I remember, I have a nice canvas bag that I'll bring for my larger purchases. But the plastic bag gestapo will soon find some other 'evil' perpetrated by and on the American consumer... |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2007-04-26 09:56 |