Blankety blanking plastic grocery bags

[Ranger99]

Now I understand we're back
to the " Plastic grocery bags and
drinking straws are killing the planet!"

A relative is on this kick again.
When she was pretty young, she
came home from school crying
and called me sobbing about the
"rain forest is being destroyed, etc. "
Now it's plastic products again.

Anytime somebody harps on this
I always give them the " when's the
last time you have seen somebody
get a ticket and have to pay a fine
for littering? . . "

They never have a response to
that because it goes right to the
meat of the problem

[GTS225]

Whenever somebody says something about that stuff, I respond with...."Let's lay the blame where it truely belongs....with the plastics industry and grocery retailers.  No one ever asked me if I wanted a single-use plastic grocery bag or drinking straw. They did that on thier own, and for one reason only.  To save money.  None of the side effects are my fault."
We used to have brown paper bags when I was a kid, and I carried many a school book covered with repurposed grocery bags.

Just sayin'.....Roger

[ironglow]

  My main problem is habit.  Like most other people, I became very accustomed to having my groceries etc., placed in a plastic bag.  Now I go in to pick up a few groceries and it doesn't dawn on me until later..
     "hey dummy where's your reusable bag"?

       It is indeed strange.... I can buy some plumbing parts or standard fasteners at the hardware, and carry them
    out in a plastic bag..

[Dee]

Yeah, I remember the good ole days when those great brown paper grocery bags would get wet and the whole bottom would fall out. Man, those were the days weren't they?

And the parafin coated paper straws. Wasn't it neat how many of'em would collapse before you finished your drink? Gosh I wish they'd bring those back. 

Plastic bags in the ditch? How do those end up there? Same way with those plastic drinking cups, and straws. How does that happen?

[GTS225]

As long as we're doing a counter-arguement:

Yeah, I remember the good ole days when those great brown paper grocery bags would get wet and the whole bottom would fall out. Man, those were the days weren't they?

Bio-degradable.

And the parafin coated paper straws. Wasn't it neat how many of'em would collapse before you finished your drink? Gosh I wish they'd bring those back. 

Bio-degradable

Plastic bags in the ditch? How do those end up there? Same way with those plastic drinking cups, and straws. How does that happen?

OK......I'll concede that one, with a caveat.  How do you suppose they end up in the ocean in mass quantities?   It ain't you and me, or our neighbors. Again, point the finger at the largest contributor(s) before trying to lay the blame at the individual's feet.  The bags apparently aren't recyclable, or somebody would be doing it.  Do you suppose the industry could make them out of a recyclable plastic?  The waste industry is just as guilty as the supply chain.  They take them in, then dump them wherever they feel like it as long as they have the permits to do so.
It would not surprise me to find that New York is still doing off-shore dumping of thier waste.
Government is just as guilty, in that they are trying to make the public feel guilty about it, and pay for the corrective measures, but never do I hear that the industry(s) are held accountable by governmental agencies.

There's a lesson to be learned from this man's speech.  His points can be easily applied to any number of controversial subjects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZSA7QjVT6A

Roger

[gene_225]

I hate to get involved in the discussion, but I reuse both kinds of bags and then burn them and their contents in the wood stove. I figure it is a win win since I get heat and the bags & contents don't end up in the dump.

[TrumpWon]

New law here this year. If you don’t bring your own bag paper or plastic are 10 cents each. Next year plastic won’t be available.
Gonna miss the plastic bags. They made great trash bags for in the car.

[Goldie]

I hate to get involved in the discussion, but I reuse both kinds of bags and then burn them and their contents in the wood stove. I figure it is a win win since I get heat and the bags & contents don't end up in the dump.
[/quote But there you go polluting the atmosphere with plastic residue and smoke! Doesn't that make you a little bit guilty?   

[oldandslow]

Sam's Club had the problem figuered out from their start. No bags at all, you get to handle each item carrying them home. Paper bags take up a lot of room in the dumpster. One plastic bag can contain a great number of others and then squeeze down very small taking up little room. Then there is the lazy option like a lot of people use where you just throw them out to blow around. Then one is just as bad as the other although paper does degrade quicker than plastic.

[Ranger99]

I recycle about 1 every other day.
I walk the road frontage with a bag
and my grabber stick picking up
stuff the thoughtless pinheads
throw out the window as they pass
by. Mostly empty beer containers,
some food take out trays and wrappers,
dirty pampers, the occasional hypo,
dirty toilet paper and kleenex, etc.
All manners of trash that people
throw out and are responsible for and
they'll never get punished for in any
way.
The oceans are a different story.
You can look on yoofloob and
see all the pollution and crap countries
like india and the southeast asian
countries just simply let drop from
their hands as they stroll along.
If you've ever travelled through
mexico ( not the touristy areas)
You'll see mounds of trash and
turds everywhere. 
Other places in the world are
way worse polluters than the
United States ever even thought
about being in the worst of times

If people were actually held accountable
for their thoughtless actions ( such as
littering) things would improve greatly.
Blaming a piece of plastic ( or a gun)
for a pinhead's stupidity doesn't
help anything. 
More enabling and making excuses

[GTS225]

They made great trash bags for in the car.

Or cleaning the cat's litterbox.

Roger

[Tommyt]

Toaster oven, a pan and a weight
Place a few Heat and press than continue
I use for knife handles and many other things

YouTube it you’ll be surprised

[ironglow]

As long as we're doing a counter-arguement:

Yeah, I remember the good ole days when those great brown paper grocery bags would get wet and the whole bottom would fall out. Man, those were the days weren't they?

Bio-degradable.

And the parafin coated paper straws. Wasn't it neat how many of'em would collapse before you finished your drink? Gosh I wish they'd bring those back. 

Bio-degradable

Plastic bags in the ditch? How do those end up there? Same way with those plastic drinking cups, and straws. How does that happen?

OK......I'll concede that one, with a caveat.  How do you suppose they end up in the ocean in mass quantities?   It ain't you and me, or our neighbors. Again, point the finger at the largest contributor(s) before trying to lay the blame at the individual's feet.  The bags apparently aren't recyclable, or somebody would be doing it.  Do you suppose the industry could make them out of a recyclable plastic?  The waste industry is just as guilty as the supply chain.  They take them in, then dump them wherever they feel like it as long as they have the permits to do so.
It would not surprise me to find that New York is still doing off-shore dumping of thier waste.
Government is just as guilty, in that they are trying to make the public feel guilty about it, and pay for the corrective measures, but never do I hear that the industry(s) are held accountable by governmental agencies.

There's a lesson to be learned from this man's speech.  His points can be easily applied to any number of controversial subjects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZSA7QjVT6A

Roger

  Curiously...we have had many anti-littering laws passed to prevent the trash inn the ditches..and gracing the cities,
  but when was the last time you have seen anyone ticketed for littering?

  Then there is the ocean litter as you mentioned above.  Perhaps it is time for the greenies to do some demonstrations against littering in places like Manila, Hong Kong and Malaysia.., since the vast bulk of the plastic trash in the Pacific ocean, comes from the Asian nations.

    https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/visualized-ocean-plastic-waste-pollution-by-country/#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20the%20Philippines,Vietnam%2C%20Bangladesh%2C
 

   

[Bob Riebe]

Or cleaning the cat's litterbox.
Roger

We still have paper bags here at most grocery stores if you prefer them.
I always ask for paper and I do use them to haul out the kitty litter every Monday.
Places where there is only plastic, I do try to burn them with the stuff I burn, and I burn a lot of garbage although technically it is illegal.
I like paper bags that have handles as they make it easier to carry two to three in each hand.

The other half gets paper bags from her one beauty supply company they are very strong with strong handles, oddly but not in Minnesota, the other beauty store not only has no bags of any kind but if you order large .
quantities where they used to use old boxes so you could carry them to the car, they also will not give you old boxes, so if you ordered ten one gallon large bottles of hair supply unless you have a lot of reusable bags, you shite out of luck.
The plastic bags , at Walmart, are so thin, they have to double bag many things. now Fleet Farm and Menards those are pretty sturdy.

I do have to give Minnesota credit on littering, volunteer groups go out on highways, state, and county and bag up garbage then the state or county sends out trucks to pick it up.

[Ranger99]

Yeah,  they have volunteers pick
litter up along all the highways here,
and many counties and the state
have inmates picking up litter.

Still,  the fault for littering is the
person that tosses it,  not with the
material that makes up the piece
of trash. There absolutely needs to
be enforcement and punishment for
littering.  That's the only way it'll
ever get slowed down,  and not
by enabling and making excuses for
those who can't/won't follow the
simple rules of a civilized society.

[nw_hunter]

Since we have a 10 cent deposit on all drink cans and bottles here in the peoples republic of Orreegun, you don't see many of them along the roadways.

[ironglow]

 Here, some bottles/cans are return for deposit..others not so. Many non-carbonated drinks do not have a deposit/return value.  ....Don't know why, those cans and bottles litter just as badly as the carbonated ones do.

   I noticed that even with the deposit, some beer cans still show up along the roads.  A friend tells me that is because
  drinkers who are driving, toss such cans out as soon as they are consumed, because there is a law about open cans
    in cars.
   The deposit /return cost is now 5 cents, perhaps it should go to a dime, so as to encourage more collectors to venture out...and include all cans & bottles.

  Where I live kids go by headed for the park, so some mornings I have a helping of  candy wrappers, bottles or juice boxes.

 

[gene_225]

Here, some bottles/cans are return for deposit..others not so. Many non-carbonated drinks do not have a deposit/return value.  ....Don't know why, those cans and bottles litter just as badly as the carbonated ones do.

   I noticed that even with the deposit, some beer cans still show up along the roads.  A friend tells me that is because
  drinkers who are driving, toss such cans out as soon as they are consumed, because there is a law about open cans
    in cars.
   The deposit /return cost is now 5 cents, perhaps it should go to a dime, so as to encourage more collectors to venture out...and include all cans & bottles.

  Where I live kids go by headed for the park, so some mornings I have a helping of  candy wrappers, bottles or juice boxes.

 

The larger deposit does seem to help. My daughter takes mine in and my neighbor always is able to find some kid hanging around the store to turn his in.

[nw_hunter]

Here, some bottles/cans are return for deposit..others not so. Many non-carbonated drinks do not have a deposit/return value.  ....Don't know why, those cans and bottles litter just as badly as the carbonated ones do.

Here, we do have deposits on drinks other than carbonated one. Drinks like Gatorade, and such are as well.
It does make a big difference on roadside litter.

 Up until several years ago here in Douglas county where I live, we had free access to dump stations. People (like myself) did more voluntary clean up in public places. Less now, because in addition to your labor picking trash up, you have to pay to take it to the landfill. Most who like the sport of target shooting like myself, still clean up the sites we use to  shoot on public land. I get a lot of my reload brass that way as well.

[Dixie-Dude]

Paper bags many times carried roach eggs to your home.  Paper bags are made from trees.  Plastic bags are water resistant during rainy weather or carrying cold items. 

All the plastic you see in the ocean is not from America, it is where third world countries dump their trash.  They don't use landfills or incinerators.  We reuse plastic bags in small garbage cans like bathroom cans.  Many people use them to pick up their dog droppings walking their dogs in cities. 

Oh, incinerators burn up garbage and create steam for power production and the waste ash only takes up 10% of what solid waste does. 

My town has two garbage cans, one for recycle items and one for garbage.  You cannot put plastic bags or film in the recycle bin, but plastic bottles and containers can be put in there along with metals like aluminum, glass, paper boxes etc.  Then my town has a recycle center for apartment dwellers especially, that has separate bins for glass, plastic, paper, wood, aluminum cans, and other metals.  Even the glass is sorted by clear and colored glass. 

I think most towns and cities are already doing this.  However, 3rd world countries are not. 

Maybe we should go back to glass soft drink bottles to return to the stores.  My grandmother repurposed glass jars into homemade jam and jelly jars, saving her canning jars for pressure canning.  Jams and jellies only need water baths.  Glass ketchup bottles became pepper sauce bottles for peppers and vinegar to sprinkle on your collard and turnip greens.  Most people don't can anymore. 

They need to teach these kids it is not Americans who recycle are the problem with garbage in the ocean, but third world countries. 

[Ranger99]

Ultimately,  the "big" corporations
aren't the magical cause of all the
world's ills.
People that smoke cigarettes bring
on their own illness
People that misuse pain medications
bring on their own problems
Using Roundup for home use and
not wearing protective clothes as
the package instructions suggests
will surely cause illness
Lazy or ignorant pinheads that throw
down trash cause plastic pollution
Shoplifting and flashmob theft will
surely drive business from a high
crime area

Sorry,  stupid people cause most of
the world's problems, and enabling
and making excuses for them won't
solve anything