highporkroller t1_je7i5pz wrote on March 29, 2023 at 11:39 PM

Reply to comment by Pyrot3kh in Plastic bag ban helped cut Shore trash: New report notes drop in bags, straws, paper pieces found in annual cleanup by rollotomasi07071

People are buying single use bags instead of the retailers now. Just another shift of costs to the consumer.

Motivator9931 t1_je7vofe wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:20 AM

Why would they be buying single use bags? A reusable bag pays for itself in a few trips and lasts a long time.

highporkroller t1_je7vt3l wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:21 AM

It’s not just about shopping. People use them for garbage bags around the house, dog waste, etc.

RafeDangerous t1_jea0bv5 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 2:32 PM

Okay, but that's a much lower number than "everyone". Even if it's as high as 50% of people still need those bags to clean up after their dog or for trash, which I seriously doubt, it's still half as many bags being needlessly thrown away. Also, for cleaning up after dogs, shopping bags were always a horrible choice. You can get rolls of biodegradable bags that clip onto your leash for a couple of bucks that take up less space than a single grocery bag in your pocket and won't leave you hanging when your realize you forgot to grab a bag on the way out or a hand full of shit when you realize that there's a hole in the bag.

highporkroller t1_jeab6g4 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 3:48 PM

I get it. I really do and don’t think it’s a bad idea. But why start (and stop) with shopping bags? There is so much more plastic waste on the 20 things you put into one shopping bag. Or your Starbucks coffee cup/lids that they aren’t mandating you use reusable for.

RafeDangerous t1_jeafgak wrote on March 30, 2023 at 4:16 PM

oh absolutely, overpackaging is ridiculous. One of the ones I find most stupidly ironic is Impossible Burgers. They go on about how environmentally friendly they are as opposed to actual meat, which is probably true, but then it's in this absurd plastic blister-pack thing...there's got to be a better way to do that. I guess they have to start somewhere with this stuff though, and shopping bags are probably one of the easiest (comparatively) things to go after.