Comments
Please wait...
Comments are closed.
Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.
is a proud member of the
media network
media network
All contents © Index Newspapers LLC
800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
800 Maynard Ave S, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98134
I just stick things in my backpack, mostly.
Meat should still be bagged in plastic - like the little bags they offer in the meat department. A shopping bag used for meat should only ever be used for meat. Your produce should only go into a bag set aside for produce.
@2 Good pointers.
It's not exactly a stretch of common sense that these bags aren't terribly hygienic. Alas, how about this for a solution: run 'em through the washing machine every once in a while.
And then the bugs in the compost can eat them.
Think of all the bacteria on your dollars and coins.
Latex gloves are killing dozens of whales each year ... please wont someone think of the whales!?
From good old wikipedia: There are typically 40 million bacterial cells in a gram of soil and a million bacterial cells in a millilitre of fresh water; in all, there are approximately five nonillion (5×1030) bacteria on Earth,[3] forming a biomass that exceeds that of all plants and animals."
Washing your reusable bag is probably a good idea, but don't delude yourself into thinking that a new plastic bag will magically make all your food sanitized.
But I'm with the people who think this is no big deal. Lots of bacteria in the world, yet mostly we get through our days without getting ill. If I had a compromised immune system, on the other hand, I'd probably be washing my bags more. And definitely washing my produce more.
But to me, the bag ban is more about preventing people from wasting resources. If your going to be wasteful at least pay for it.
Reducing the amount of plastic we go through is pretty gross once you start thinking about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
People need to get over being such germaphobes. Just wash your shit before you eat it. The solution to almost everything is dilution.
Wouldnt work for gynecologists & proctologists.
Also, wouldnt it be easier to ban the dumping of garbage into the pacific ocean?
As far as dumping into the ocean, I'm pretty sure there is a ban. I think the solution lies in reducing the output of waste.
Problem with paper bags is, the glue on the handle needs to be stronger. Had many of them break off during the 4 block walk to my apartment, so I had no choice but to go back to plastic bags. They also get re-used, but mostly for disposing of pet droppings. The rest are recycled.
I really dont understand what the BFD is all about? If we have whales dying from balls of plastic bags in their stomach, if its not coming from Washington State, then its unlikely a plastic ban would ever solve the problem. The fact that whales are being used as selling point (to ban plastic bags) tells me just how non-existent the problem really is.
@31- You are complaining about the choice between wasteful single use bag options. The idea is not to be wasteful. The order of operations is reduce, then reuse, then recycle.
So plastic bags aren't the biggest problem in the world. They're an easily fixable problem, why should we ignore it?
If you meant you're taking them to a stores that accept plastic bags for recycling, well, good on ya'. If you're just throwing them in you recycling bins at home, well, don't do that (unless I'm wrong).
"Grocery/Shopping Bags
Reuse bags when possible. You can recycle by bundling all clean and empty grocery bags into one bag. Single bags must go into the garbage, as they tangle up the machinery at the recycling facility. Produce bags are not accepted for recycling."
http://www.seattle.gov/util/services/rec…
As far as other sources, that's like saying oh there's so many people who die every day why should I care if I kill a few on the way home?
Plastic shopping bags are 100% recyclable. The unfortunate reality that too few of them are recycled is a function of public education, not inherent function and design of the bags (many of which are a hell of a lot more biodegradable than the paper variety).
re: the biodegradable aspect of plastic bags, it's actually a bigger problem than if they were completely indestructable for a lot of sea life. Those "biodegradable" bags photo degrade into tiny bits quite quickly so you don't see a big old bag in the water, but those little bits get ingested by the sea life and clog up their digestive system making it difficult for them to get real nutrients out of their food. Picture an animal starving to death while eating.
The other thing about the "biodegradable" bags is that they cost more and so very very few stores would use them. Meanwhile people like you would believe that since such a bag exists somewhere that all the bags you're getting everyday are all that kind of "biodegradable" bag.