Ban the Use of Plastic and Paper Bags? San Francisco Bans Bags Already...Just Say NO to Plastic AND Paper!



So seriously, I just read a commentary by Dick Spotswood where he accuses "eco-fundamentalists" of  going too far in trying to impose a bag ban in Marin, California.  He dances around some Global Warming crap and in doing so he totally misses the point.  Forget Global Warming.  A state like Florida uses 5 billion disposable paper and plastic bags each year.  The plastic bags are made from petroleum and break down into tiny pieces and harm our sea and wildlife.  The bags create a huge amount of waste. 

Now I am not sure that we need to regulate or ban the use of paper pr plastic bags, but we certainly need to take action now in some way to get people to realize how toxic plastic bags are to our environment.  Be the "eco-fundamentalist" and just tell your friends to say no to both plastic and paper and urge them to get their own reusable, environmentally friendly bags for the grocery store, take out and other places that hand out those horrid plastic bags.

Then make sure you pick up some type of eco-friendly, reusable bags for yourself (buy as many as you would normally use in a grocery trip) and make sure you keep them clean.  A recent study found that 64% of the reusable bags tested were contaminated with some level of bacteria and close to 30% had elevated bacterial counts higher than what's considered safe for drinking water.
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12 comments:

  1. The irony in the video clip and posts

    -China never banned bag...they only instituted a fee system
    -Boston considered and abandoned a plastic bag ban

    It is correct that there is a density of plastic particles in the ocean but according to NOAA plastic bags are not the challenge rather generic plastic

    http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/plastic.html#1

    On that website NOAA ads, in response to the question, "Is it true that 100,000 marine mammals and/or sea turtles die each year due to marine debris/plastics/plastic bags?", the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration responded by stating "We were able to find no information to support this statement."

    It is true that we need to manage plastic in the environment but as activists we should all be careful to document, assess and approach the challenges with facts and citations.

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  2. Hi Anonymous, thanks for your information. Though I never implied that 100,000 marine animals die each year from plastics, I do thank you for your views.

    It is hard to wade through all of the information and then decide which side you feel has the most merit. It is sad that today so much of our scientific data is paid for by corporations which have self interest at heart. It is hard to know what studies are valid or invalid.

    I am sure you are familiar with the Worldwatch Report: Oceans in Peril from 2007?

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  3. As part of the conservation and environmental movement worldwide there are several campaigns aimed at banning the plastic bag. These fit in perfectly with going green at home and with our longer term life styles.
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  4. Thanks Blue Cross for the comment. BTW, I loved my BC when I had it.

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  5. No problem...wasnt implying the video said that many were killed...that is how NOAA addresses it (hence the quotes). The video did have ambiguous undocumented implicatioins. Ironically it showed birds that had died from eating cigarette lighters and bottle caps but not bags. These are the concerns that we are chasing ghosts and missing the bigger problem.

    Again sorry not trying to imply you or video directly said that just providing the NOAA response to the generic claims.

    Have great day and keep up the good blogging

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  6. I think an important point you raised, as well, is that Boston did not ban the bag. Apparently it was like the state of Florida? We began to try to ban bags and of course it was squashed.

    I appreciate the information.

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  7. Isn't plastic created from petroleum? Aren't we looking for ways to reduce our petroleum demands?
    I say no to plastic!

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  8. Yea Liz! I applaud you for saying no to plastics!

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  10. I think today world is facing a most important environmental challenge and people are understanding the need for a solution in order to conquer this challenge. The ‘Go Green’ slogan is ahead credit in almost all domains today. His has lead to the use of recycled and reusable things, wherever possible.

    Best Regards,

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  11. Thanks so much Packaging Supplies! I am always trying to reduce, reuse and recycle...

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