Your Turn
Paper or plastic? Los Angeles has just become the largest city in the US to get rid of plastic bags in grocery stores. Beginning in January, there will be no more plastic and if you want paper, it will cost you ten cents which the store gets to keep. Right now, West Hollywood already has this law and I have no problem with the law except for one minor thing. The paper bags always break unless you double bag them which then costs you 20 cents for each one you fill. Yes, you can bring your own bags, but it always seems like you end up with more than fit in your canvas bags and sometimes you forget them. Plus, I have found paper bags work much better at a grocery store than they do at Target for instance where items are not as easily put into paper bags.
I prefer plastic so I can toss my babies poopy diapers in.
ReplyDeleteYou gotta be fucking kidding me.
ReplyDelete@FSP I wanted to do a Your Turn about class rings today, but I got vetoed
DeleteI forgive you VIP.
DeleteI feel like this question has been asked 20 times already.
DeleteI use plastic, but I re-use them later to line waste baskets around the house. I save the paper ones too though.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteNeither...I buy the reusable ones.
ReplyDeleteToronto tried to do this but it thankfully went away. Plastic bags are recyclable, there's no benefit to outlawing them, it's a perceived benefit, and basically stupid.
ReplyDeletePlastic all the way...but I also save and re-use them.
ReplyDeleteThere's a great future in plastic. Think about it Benjamin. Will you think about it for me? Enough said.
ReplyDeletePlastic.
ReplyDeleteThis has been in WA for awhile now, and I thought it might be a big deal but it's not. If you use plastic bags for pet or baby waste, it turns out you still get plenty from the plastic you use for produce at the market. I forget my reusable ones a lot, but the paper bags are only 5 cents here and I don't mind since I use them for my recyclables for as long as they last
ReplyDeleteI am always impressed with how well the reusable bags hold up as well as how much they hold. I keep a stash in each car and don't miss all the plastic bags one bit. I still forget from time to time, but it's so nice to not have all that clutter.
ReplyDeleteI typically bring cloth. I've got some nice ones that fold up into a square and snap together to stay folded. However, I use paper ones for my recycling. My BF always forgets to bring cloth bags to the store, and since he uses the self-checkout, they only have plastic available. I suppose if they started charging, he'd maybe start remembering his bags!
ReplyDeleteAustin, Texas has this law too. It is easier to get used to than one might think.
ReplyDeleteDitto msgirl. It isn't a big deal. I never have to double bag paper. Sometimes I forget the reusable bag, but 5 cents is a small price for the enviroent. I get lots of plastic still when I shop in the suburbs or from veggies
ReplyDeleteDammit VIP!! I wanted to tell you guys allllllll about my class riiiiiiing!!!! I wanna tell you guysssss!!!!! ;(
ReplyDeleteWait...why doesn't the 10 cents go toward environmental causes of a store's choosing?
ReplyDeleteI re-use the plastic bags for my dog's poop.
ReplyDeleteThe canvas bags have ripped on me before. Paper sucks for anything heavy.
I have been using reusable bags for so long (I keep a big stash behind the seat of the truck) that when the 5¢-a-bag-charge went into effect here, I hardly noticed. Funnily, I manage to collect enough small plastic bags for my needs (reuse produce bags, etc).
ReplyDeleteI heard one person rant about it, that they were going to go to [next town over] to shop from now on. They fail to realize that they are going to spend more than 5¢ just on gas to get there. Dickwad.
terrible..start saving your bags for 6 months
ReplyDeletewhy not force people to recycle like they do cans for redemption
I make my own cloth bags out of canvas. Donna Reed moment -
ReplyDeleteRemember to wash your reusable bags now and then.
Live in LA, already use reusables. I Have many. Not an issue.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePortland has been plastic free for a while. I love that the dollar store now uses paper bags. It tickles me for some reason!
ReplyDeleteSan Jose, CA (pop: 900k) has been doing this for ~a year and it's significantly reduced their plastic bag trash and litter. People just use the reusable bags with handles, they have the silver ones for hot/cold stuff. Or if you forget, pay a dime and use a paper bag with handles. Occasionally, you need to double-bag but they've charged me the extra dime. Or if you just a couple items you just carry them out sans bag. The only part that irks me, is I use the plastic bags for scooping my kitty litter. So I'm glad I had a stockpile of them until I moved out of the city and then it wasn't an issue anymore. Oh and the grocery store still uses the little clear plastic bags for veggies and meats. San Francisco is going to do this too, if they haven't already, can't remember.
ReplyDeleteAustin's bag ban has been effect about a year. No one has really complained.
ReplyDeleteWe keep lots of recycling bags in our trunk along with a freezer bag for when we buy meat or veg.
I have some of those folding bags that expand really big if you need larger bags. 5 of these rolled up fit into my purse.
If you need plastic bags, just go shipping outside city limits. All the surrounding towns still allow plastic. For now...
WTF, America, get with the program. Buy canvas bags or bins and NEVER pay again.
ReplyDeleteI have been saving plastic bags for over a year now, thinking the law would get here as well. I use them to collect the yard dog poo, to wrap my hair when I've applied my "of course it's natural" hair coloring, to hold other recyclables till I get them to the garage bins, line waste baskets etc. I'm ready for the no plastic day with canvas and cloth bags.
ReplyDeleteI live in Austin too and there hasn't been a problem with bringing your own bags. I've done it for years though. The trick is to put them in your car so you always have them. The quality of the bags can vary so buy ones that are sturdy and will last. Lots of groovy options for bags now days too. And yes, the plastic bags you use for produce should handle most people's waste needs at home.
ReplyDeletei reuse plastic bags for dog poo too
ReplyDeleteum didnt we do this one aready?
ReplyDeletePenny wise and pound foolish. You need a car to shop with paper bags. They are difficult to carry and break too easily if you walk or take a bus.
ReplyDeleteI keep reusable bags in my car and a couple of the fold-up ones in my purse, plus I use reusable mesh produce bags. I try and avoid using plastic bags for anything. My husband, on the other hand... *grrr*
ReplyDeleteI have been using reusable bags for at least 15 years now. I have all kinds; from a net kind that expands to fit a ton of stuff, to the regular recycled plastic ones in a few sizes. I keep the stack of them in my trunk. I use a reusable bag at every store I visit, so have not contributed to single-use bag waste for years.
ReplyDeletepaper...
ReplyDeleteWe have had ban for over a year in San Luis Obispo. It has been no big deal.
ReplyDeletePlastic.
ReplyDeleteMy van really enjoys all the cute reusable bags stored in the back of it. The chances of them making it into the store, however... not so good.
Use reusable bags, and have for at least 20 years.
ReplyDeleteWhat the fuck?! This was the lamest Your Turn the first time.
ReplyDeleteRemember to wash your reusable bags now and then.
ReplyDeleteI read something about reusable bags harboring e coli or some nasty bacteria after using them for awhile.
Thing is, some bags (like Trader Joe's colorful ones) tend to fall apart if you run them through the washer.
Feel-good legislation that doesn't actually solve any problems but allows busybodies to feel good about themselves while burdening people who are unlikely to have time or energy to do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteYay.
Been using the canvas backs for a while. I keep a few in the car in case I forget them and I can typically carry most of my stuff in my hands if I forget. Otherwise I'm okay using paper. Sometimes I would like a plastic bag for cat poo but just dump it in the regular trash can on trash day.
ReplyDeleteIt seems here that most people-like myself-like plastic, bc it gets reused. Although I realize what happens that either way, it eventually gets thrown out, and ends up potentially in a landfill for thousands or years, or in the ocean suffocating an animal. Neither scenario I like.
ReplyDeletePlastic doesn't last "thousands of years". Try to put a plastic bag somewhere you can see it everyday, don't touch it and you will see that in less than two months, there is no more than a 10% of the initial bag. I have tried, therefore I know. Rain, wind, heat... are true bitches against plastic.
ReplyDeletePaper bags are shit.
Wall-played, lazyday603.
ReplyDeleteSo true Amartel. Do what you want with your bags, paper, plastic or re-usable but don't ban anything. This nanny state bullshit has got to stop! I'm not that old but I remember when there was a difference between adults and children. Now everyone is treated like a retarded child, and apparently people are fine with it! Weird.
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess I'm Miss Politically Incorrect today on every thread because these kind of bans are complete and utter bullshit for me. If this happens in Jersey, I'm screwed. First of all, when schlepping my toddler to the store, I have to remember the grocery list, the coupons, the sippy cup, the pretzels, the diapers, the wipes, a lollipop and then the fucking bags. Seriously. This should be left up to stores if they want to offer bags to their customers. And I reuse my plastic bags at home for poop and such. Christ.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@Susan I agree with you about the bags!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it infuriates me as an American that our government actually wastes time on this bullshit. Is there going to be a tax when I walk into a god damn grocery store now? Do I have to pay a five-cent fee to take my number at the deli?
ReplyDeleteThe price of groceries is already astronomical. And seriously, maybe not everybody can afford to buy 20 $10 reusable hemp bags. Alright, I need to go have a drink....
ReplyDeleteThis is in effect in the Hamptons and it sucks! When i go to waldbaum's the bags are tearing before i even get them in my car!!!
ReplyDeleteOur reusable grocery bags are $1, sometimes $2.
ReplyDeleteNo banning, but one jurisdiction around here charges 5c each if you use plastic bags. If you bring your own bags you get a 5c credit for each so use it 20 times and it's paid for.
I use them at the grocery store. I tried once at the CVS and the sales clerk didn't know what to do with it. They are trained to use their own. Fine.
Apparently LA has solved all their problems and can focus their energy on bags that can be recycled.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat am I gonna clean up after the dog with if there are no more plastic bags?
ReplyDeleteAnd don't tell me reusable bags....
Hohoho!
@canthavemypurse the bag ban in Austin began March 1st 2013. Unless I'm confused but don't think so..just wondering where the year comes from?
ReplyDeleteI keep my bags handy, but forget them sometimes....or forget to put them back in my car... The charge here in Austin is 20 to 40 cents for plastic bags. In a couple of places the bags are free when purchasing 10 items or less. Whole Foods has always used paper or as far as I remember has so major no change there. I do grocery shop quite a bit at Costco which only provides boxes...that def helped me be less annoyed.
All in all I'm ok with it, but catch me on a bad day and I can get super annoyed/bitchy....oh and when it is 102 degrees forget about it. I'm a lost cause. All patience and tolerance leaves me. No shoppy for me. F that bag ban and all the Fkn Austin traffic can be heard from my lips!
I miss 1992 Austin.
We've been doing this for years now in Aus. You can have (fast biodegrading, environmentally friendly) plastic bags but they cost 15c. However, you can reuse them at the store just like the canvas bags.
ReplyDeleteIt really isn't that big of a deal.
I live in Socal, but my town hasn't outlawed plastic yet. I've been using reusable bags mostly for the last two years because so many stores would give you coupons or cash back per use or Trader Joe's always has that raffle ticket per visit when you bring your own. But now, some have stopped rewarding you for using canvas bags. :( I don't know how I feel. I think it's generally a good idea not to waste and I feel like I'm doing a good thing when I reuse things or recycle. But I feel like the towns around me that are congratulating themselves on being plastic free are ignoring bigger problems. Dana Point and Laguna Beach, for instance, could have expended some of that energy on their huge homeless population. There are privately run places that do some good, but they can only do so much. Sorry for the ramble.
ReplyDelete