Opinions on Banning plastic bags.?

Question

My region in Maryland is thinking about banning plastic bags. I believe that its a great thing to do. I come from germany where when we grocery shop we use boxes that grocery items came in, and we bring our own collapsable re-usable boxes. What are your opinions? Should we keep using non-biodegradable bags thats killing our environment, or start using paper or recycled material?

Answer 1

Banning them is a great idea, and quite justified.  We all pay the consequences of discarded bags in the water, landfills, etc.  It's not very hard for someone to bring their own bag for their groceries.  

And Randal- You're very wrong, the vast majority of people do not reuse their bags, they simply throw them away.

Answer 2

I think banning plastic bags is a great idea! They should find a more biodegradable substance. Grocery stores in my area are banning plastic bags and making reusable bas available to us. Any  little thing we can do to help the environment will make a difference and banning plastic bags would be a bug step forward!

Answer 3

I think that maybe people should pay a deposit on the plastic bags they use from a store, but should be able to re use or recycle those bags and get their deposit back

Answer 4

I think its a great idea.Any little improvment we can make to help the enviorment.We do alot of damage so not using plastic bags is actually a very small sacrifice!

Answer 5

i think its a great idea too. i live in scotland, and all our local super markets are phasing them out now. you can buy biodegradable, reusable bags for next to nothing and when they eventually wear out you can get new ones free.

Answer 6

I'm against banning anything.   If you don't like plastic bags, don't use them.

Oh and by the way most people who use them re-use them.  

I use mine for trash bags and to carry wet bathing suits / towels / swim caps after taking my kids to the pool.

I haven't bought a trash bag in years.

And hyperbolic statements like "killing our environment" and "saving our planet" sound comic book-ish - - people won't take you seriously when you use hyperbole.    The first few times a movement uses it, it gets some splash, some attention, but it starts to get old really fast - - and the environmental movement has been using hyperbole and worse for decades - there is definitely a boy who cried wolf problem.

Answer 7

Banning plastic bags is ridiculous.  Have you seen some of the filthy cloth bags people bring into the grocery store?  If I were a grocery bagger, I wouldn't want to touch those nasty things.  And what about cross contamination?  Chicken and meat juices are absorbed in the cloth, requiring frequent washing - thereby using more water and more electricity.  Plus, if you are doing a large shopping that week, one would need a large number of those bags, so those "inexpensive" bags, end up being not so "inexpensive" when one needs to purchase large quantities.  

Paper bags may be biodegradable, but how many more trees will we lose to produce more paper?  And how many times has a paper bag broken while carrying in your groceries, breaking glass containers and spilling stuff all over the place?  

Boxes are big and cumbersome - think Costco!  I purchase four little items and I get this gigantic box to carry them home in.  

Let's think this through, people!  Plastic bags are recyclable and people DO recycle them.  Just check out the drop boxes at the grocery stores.   Plastic bags have multiple uses that the other bags do not, as Randall pointed out earllier.

We are "over banning" in this country.  You may think you are doing the environmentally and politically correct thing, but try looking at the large picture.  We are losing more of our freedoms every day.  Just look all the "NO" signs when you go to the beach!  

We want to keep our little "recyclable" plastic bags and if you see them in the water or on the ground, instead of complaining and yelling "ban them", pick them up!  I seldom see them, but when I do, I pick them up, as I do with soda cans and bottles (not biodegradable, either), paper trash (tons of that!)  Get a grip - get real!

Answer 8

where i live unfortunatly plastic bags r give 4 free when u leave the supermarket...and ive been to germany nd i fing it really cool that u guys sell plastic bags which motivates ppl there to bring their bags with them

Answer 9

I work in a supermarket and I think that the banning of free plastic bags should be hurried up.

A lot of people are now using thier own bags or reusing the free ones but it's the customers who take the mick that really get on my nerves, the ones who buy 3 or 4 items and double bag each item so they are using 6 or 8 of them and then say things like ' they're free so I'll use as many of them as I like'

If people are charged even a penny a bag you would soon see the unnecessary use come to a stop.

Answer 10

Totally support it.

Answer 11

i have used cloth bags for the last few years

Answer 12

Paper bags come from trees.  Is that really any better?

Answer 13

I don't think BANNING plastic bags would be the way, but spreading awareness would...maybe getting a few grocery stores to ban plastic bags. I mean, some people buy a lot of grocery's and CAN'T bring all the boxes they'd need.

Answer 14

It takes 5 times more energy to create paper bags versus plastic.  If the plastic ban results in stores offering paper, then that is much worse.  Paper also takes up much more space in a landfill than plastic, and will never break down unless left out in the open exposed to air.  Until all customers start bringing their own bags/boxes to the store, the better alternative is to offer plastic bags.  Whole Foods gives a 10 cent discount for each reusable bag you bring to the store for your purchases.  Unfortunately, they only offer paper for customers who do not bring their own.  Without incentives or a major culture shift, the stores should offer plastic, not paper.

Answer 15

"killing our environment".... i love it.  since when does using bags "kill our environment"?

you silly tree hugging liberals!

Answer 16

Many grocery stores use plastic bags for a few very practical reasons.

1. They're the cheapest by far. A plastic bag costs less than 1 cent for a store if purchased in a very large quantity. (this is the standard size, other sizes may be more or less)

2. They're very small compared to how much they hold.

100 paper bags take up as much space as about 2000 plastic bags. This makes plastic bags far easier to store in large quantities for stores that use a lot of bags.

3. Bagging groceries in plastic is MUCH faster. (trust me...I used to be a cashier) A good cashier can ring up and bag 4 times as much stuff in a given amount of time compared to with paper bags or even worse, cloth bags.

While cloth and paper bags are better for the environment, plastic bags are FAR better for the economy. They allow vendors to keep prices lower by having overhead costs maintain a lower level.

They both have their benefits and disadvantages, but the plain and simple truth is that any bags (even thick plastic bags that you reuse) are far slower to bag groceries in than the plastic bags the store has.

The ONLY things I think are easy to put groceries in are medium sized boxes, and those plastic storage tubs. If you want to help the environment WITHOUT causing your cashier to have a slow day (which CAN effect their job since part of their performance reviews are about speed) then use boxes or tubs.