trymahjong Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Got an email asking me to join in support of the ban----http://www.texasenvironment.org/dsp_TargetTemplate_choices.cfm?TTID=38 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Where I used to live had a bag ban. It seemed inconvenient for a day or so, but after that it was never a very big deal. Just get reusable bags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I don't have a problem with a ban of this sort. Something has to be done to reduce landfill growth. Granted, we live in a land of relatively low density, but steps have to be taken before they're needed - otherwise, we risk becoming a Naples (or even NYC).I'd also be in support of mandatory recycling (of all items), but this would never fly in the current environment; instead, I just do my part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway6 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Plastic grocery bags get reused - scooping the cat's litter box, and for small bedroom/bathroom trashcans around the houseBan small trashbags, and I'd be forced to use a full garbage bag for those tasks which would end up sending more plastic to the landfill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedScare Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 (edited) Plastic grocery bags get reused - scooping the cat's litter box, and for small bedroom/bathroom trashcans around the house Ban small trashbags, and I'd be forced to use a full garbage bag for those tasks which would end up sending more plastic to the landfill. Maybe this would spur a whole new industry of decomposable pet crap bags. We could make millions! They already have small bags, just not compostable... Just more money to spend. However, I understand the problem with these grocery bags clogging up everything. Edited June 18, 2012 by RedScare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barracuda Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I'm fine with this. You will still be able to buy cheap plastic bags if you must have them. I prefer cloth bags for groceries since they can hold more stuff and they don't tear and fall apart.Also, I've frequently noticed a flotilla of garbage in the inlet to Buffalo Bayou in Eleanor Tinsley Park and on the surrounding trees following a flood. I support minimal efforts like this if they will help reduce the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Plastic grocery bags get reused - scooping the cat's litter box, and for small bedroom/bathroom trashcans around the houseBan small trashbags, and I'd be forced to use a full garbage bag for those tasks which would end up sending more plastic to the landfill.I also reuse them daily. I use them for trash in my house, I bring my lunch to work in them, I take diapers out with them, wet clothes get packed in them, dog food travels in them, you name it...I use them constantly....not only that, I take about 80% of them back to the store and dump them in the recycling for them at the store just because I get more than I can use.I admittedly am not a big recycler, but these bags get lots of use at my house and what is not used gets recycled when I get sick of seeing them on the floor of my pantry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway6 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Maybe this would spur a whole new industry of decomposable pet crap bags. We could make millions!They already have small bags, just not compostable...Just more money to spend. However, I understand the problem with these grocery bags clogging up everything.So.. if these small Glad bags too are non-compostable.. and it's relatively the same size.. and they are both going to end up in a landfill... it's a wash.I understand the concern as well... i just don't appreciate the eco side of the argument that fails to appreciate that these bags aren't one-time use. Looks like someone beat you to your pet crap bag idea .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 One thing I notice in the US (having lived and visited extensively abroad) is that we don't really use trash compactors in the home and we also don't separate our organic matter from the rest of our trash. I suspect the latter change alone would have a significant impact on landmill mass - even without the usage of home-based compost heaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Maybe this would spur a whole new industry of decomposable pet crap bags. We could make millions! They already have small bags, just not compostable... Just more money to spend. However, I understand the problem with these grocery bags clogging up everything. Compostable pet waste bags are already available at pet stores: http://www.petco.com...Waste-Bags.aspx I think these are the same kind that are dispensed at the dog runs at Discovery Green and the park across from the Menil Collection. That said, the regular plastic bags get reused constantly in our household as well. They don't stay around long, as 60-pound dogs tend to crap a lot. It's nothing for us to go through a couple of bags on one walk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I am all for banning plastic bags, I personally am tired of seeing all the garbage that irresponsible people toss onto the ground and getting rid of plastic bags will reduce a good portion of that garbage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I am all for banning plastic bags, I personally am tired of seeing all the garbage that irresponsible people toss onto the ground and getting rid of plastic bags will reduce a good portion of that garbage.Banning the bags will do little to stem the litter everywhere. Bags make up very little of the litter I see....unfortunately littering is culturally ingrained into many of the residents of Houston....some folks do not even realize that littering is ugly or illegal....the ban is not designed to stem littering its designed to cut down on the amount of plastic waste that goes into our landfills....at least that is my interpretation of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Banning the bags will do little to stem the litter everywhere. Bags make up very little of the litter I see....unfortunately littering is culturally ingrained into many of the residents of Houston....some folks do not even realize that littering is ugly or illegal....the ban is not designed to stem littering its designed to cut down on the amount of plastic waste that goes into our landfills....at least that is my interpretation of it.Not to change subject, but it's not a problem with houstonians littering, it's a problem with human nature. I've been many places from south America, to Europe, and Asia (well, asia Pacific) litter is all over everywhere. I'm not for banning anything, from softdrinks to these plastic bags, people just need to have their arms cut off when they litter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marksmu Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Not to change subject, but it's not a problem with houstonians littering, it's a problem with human nature. I've been many places from south America, to Europe, and Asia (well, asia Pacific) litter is all over everywhere.I'm not for banning anything, from softdrinks to these plastic bags, people just need to have their arms cut off when they litter.Last time I was in Calgary, I was amazed how little litter there was. It is one of the cleanest large cities I have ever seen....It was very clean....I really enjoyed Calgary too...I may have to go back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KinkaidAlum Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Canadiens. I dig them. They're super clean and polite. If they could just annex a Caribbean island (Caymans?) I'd think about moving.As for the bags, I have my own ban in place. I've been carrying a man purse for 2 years now. It's a big, green, Central Market bag with the insulated lining inside. It's my gym bag. My Cougar game day beer cooler (holds 24 easy). It's my carry around at all times bag so I can say "no thanks, I don't need a bag" and throw all my Walgreens crap inside. It's my I'm heading to swim at a friend's house so I can stick my trunks and wet towel in it when I head home.Everyone should get one. I literally don't leave home without it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Canadiens. I dig them. They're super clean and polite. If they could just annex a Caribbean island (Caymans?) I'd think about moving.As for the bags, I have my own ban in place. I've been carrying a man purse for 2 years now. It's a big, green, Central Market bag with the insulated lining inside. It's my gym bag. My Cougar game day beer cooler (holds 24 easy). It's my carry around at all times bag so I can say "no thanks, I don't need a bag" and throw all my Walgreens crap inside. It's my I'm heading to swim at a friend's house so I can stick my trunks and wet towel in it when I head home.Everyone should get one. I literally don't leave home without it now.Can you use it to clean the cat box? For me, I use flushable litter, rather than bagging it. Even if I didn't have that id find a way to get around using the plastic bags. Maybe one of those hard plastic buckets to carry the catpoo. For every task someone uses plastic bags for today there was a time (20 years ago, or so) people did everything without them. I switched away from them of my own volition and my life has not been negatively impacted yet. I also stopped buying any drink that come in plastic bottles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highway6 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Canadiens. I dig them. They're super clean and polite. If they could just annex a Caribbean island (Caymans?) I'd think about moving.I believe the exact opposite is true of Toronto. I don't know if it was Jax or Editor.. but I seem to remember previous discussions of overflowing trashcans being an issue there cuz people stopped giving a damn. Perhaps I remember wrong; hopefully one of them will chime in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little frau Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 We used to have paper grocery sacks of all sizes. The largest paper grocery sack would fit in a trash can and was used for garbage. My mom did that all the time. The medium size paper bags were great for my dad's lunches and the smaller ones were used for all of the kids' lunches. She was being thrifty, there was no cry to recycle yet.When we'd have paper drives at school, a large stack of newspapers would easily fit into one of the largest paper grocery sacks and was stackable. Some folks did prefer to tie the stacks in string though. I know, I know, I'm dating myself. Paper drive, what's that?When my kids were babies, before most grocery stores went to all plastic (remember "paper or plastic?"), I used to save plastic bread wrappers to use for their soiled diapers. My friends with babies would look at me like I was silly. I'd have to explain that I didn't want to put a dirty diaper in someone's trash can and by putting it in a bread wrapper, I could take it home to dispose of it. The added benefit was that if it was tightly knotted in the bread wrapper, there was no foul urine odor in the trash. Now, there's all sorts of fancy diaper trash cans with odor eliminators. Imagine that!I've been using those reusable grocery bags for about 4 years. I like that they hold more items than one of the plastic grocery sacks and one or two of my bags have long enough handles that I can throw it over my shoulder and have both hands free to carry an additional 4 bags. The fewer trips to the car the better I like it.The biggest problem I see is that so few people use the reusable bags, not every grocery clerk knows how to properly load them. Some sackers want to put 2 or 3 items in each bag and call it a day. Then they immediately reach for plastic and I have to remind them that all my groceries will fit nicely in the bags I've brought.I even have a dandy reusable bag for wine. It will easily hold 6 bottles, 7 in a pinch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 What do you do to avoid cross-contamination with the reusable bags? Keep a bag just for meat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Why not just use paper bags?Paper bags: Compostable. Made in America. Made from reforestable wood. Old-fashioned.Reusable Bags: Get dirty really quickly and have to be washed, thus becoming worn-out. Made in some sweatshop overseas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little frau Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 I do ask them to put meat products in plastic first and I have 2 bags dedicated for those purchases. Produce is in the thin plastic bags supplied in that department so they don't present a problem. I'm aware that there could be cross contamination and I do put my reusable bags in the washer. With canned goods and bags of frozen vegetables, I don't worry so much. The primary reason I like the reusable bags is that they hold so much more than plastic bags. They are just easier for me to deal with.Iron Tiger,Please tell me where I might find a store that uses made in America paper bags. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
august948 Posted June 23, 2012 Share Posted June 23, 2012 Please tell me where I might find a store that uses made in America paper bags.That's probably going to be anywhere you can find a store that still offers paper bags. Paper and paper products are one of the few things we still have a pretty good lock on. Even the Chinese import paper from us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barracuda Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I received an email from a city council member stating that a motion to address plastic bags (potentially banning them) passed by a vote of 14-3 and will move on for vetting and public input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 "Addressing" plastic bags is a noble cause. Banning them is not (you COULD tax them). Austin's approach, spending tons of money on "education" about the ban, is, pardon the pun, garbage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trymahjong Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 "Addressing" plastic bags is a noble cause. Banning them is not (you COULD tax them). Austin's approach, spending tons of money on "education" about the ban, is, pardon the pun, garbage.there is another thread concerning Washington DC's $.05 tax on plastic bags (the money going to help clean up the Potomac River)-- apparently plastic bag useage after the tax was established went down. . . . . . .http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/plastic-bags-used-in-dc-drop-from-22-million-to-3-million-a-month.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 What you COULD do is do a deposit. About three cents do a 5 cent deposit on aluminum/carbonated products: return the product, get 5 cents. This seems to work, because 5 cents doesn't seem like all much. Michigan has 10 cents, which just encourages illegal activity (smuggling cans across the border), trying to rummage through dumpsters, and not much money gained (everyone returns them).I can imagine why D.C. use has them going down: part of the reason is D.C. isn't really a huge shopping area. There's ONE Target in the district, no Walmarts or Kmarts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgriff Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 I ran across an article on the science of banning plastic bags today.http://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2012/07/31/plastic_bag_bans_just_another_eco-fad_106336.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsb320 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 I doubt they'll be banned since they are probably made here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samagon Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 (edited) Interesting point in that article:It found the “global warming potential” of plastic grocery bags is one-fourth that of paper bags and 1/173rd that of a reusable cotton bag. In other words, consumers would have to use a reusable cotton bag 173 times before they broke even from an energy standpoint. Thus, even if consumers switched to reusable bags, it is not clear there would be a reduced environmental impact.most people visit the grocery store about once a week, so it would take less than 2 years for those bags to become energy efficient, that is if you never shop anywhere else that you could use reusable bags.Myself, I go to the grocery store about once every 3-4 days, even if I only went every 4 days, I'd go to the grocery store 91 times a year. so after 2 years it would be carbon efficient for me to use a cotton reusable bag.of course, they only reference cotton reusable bags and how long it takes to offset their use, not reusable bags made from other materials, or home-made reusable bags (then you just figure out what the carbon cost of your raw material is). this doesn't take into account that my reusable bag might fit more groceries than one plastic bag can hold, then we're talking about an even quicker timeline to carbon neutrality, and less waste on the back end.either way, I agree with the main message of the article, which to me was, sensationalizing of the impact of things does more harm than good (see what it's done to AGW). Edited August 2, 2012 by samagon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luciaphile Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 I am far less exasperated by plastic bags than plastic bottles, but I don't much like seeing them caught in trees and barbed wire fences everywhere, or such dense flotillas of them in the water that turtles can sun themselves, so I followed the link on that junk science website to the UK study and found that, unsurprisingly, its most salient point was "overlooked." It stated that:Whatever type of bag is used, the key to reducing the impacts is to reuse it asmany times as possible and where reuse for shopping is not practicable, otherreuse, e.g. to replace bin liners, is beneficial.• The paper, LDPE, non-woven PP and cotton bags should be reused at least 3, 4,11 and 131 times respectively to ensure that they have lower global warmingpotential than conventional HDPE carrier bags that are not reused.Few of us use cotton bags. The ones you get for a couple dollars from Randall's or HEB are the non-woven polypropylene kind and thus need be used just 11 times to trump an unreused plastic bag. The study didn't seem to take into account that one reusable bag is the equivalent of 3 plastic ones, but I admit I didn't read it that assiduously.And I am going to quit taking out the trash and start emptying the bin because it sounds classier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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