West Virginia is the latest state to consider banning plastic grocery bags, according to this story from the Charleston, W. Va., Daily Mail.
According to the story, a bill introduced by four delegates would require retailers to phase out plastic bags by 2011, replacing them with compostable bags, mandating recycling bins and offering consumers reusable bags.
The lead sponsor, Delegate Ralph Rodighiero, D-Logan, said he introduced the bill because plastic bags have become quite the public eyesore, cluttering riverbanks and roadways."We're trying to revive our area," Rodighiero said. "We've got the Hatfield-McCoy Trail, a new Wal-mart, and we're trying to build. People are coming in from out-of-state to see our beautiful area, and the last thing they need to observe are white and blue plastic bags along the bank."
These bag bans are really gaining momentum. It will be interesting to see how many actually are adopted this year, and whether they are a fad or they keep popping up in the future.
Comments (2)
So you don't like single-use bags? What a bunch of Bag Monster Busters! There's a blog for people who want to laugh about the bag crisis: www.BagMonsterBusters.com
Like many other Bag Monsters, I started off as one bag that was stuffed under a nasty kitchen sink. When enough single-use bags get together, we take on a life of our own as Bag Monsters. I started my blog to bring a voice to those who have been silenced by Bag Bans. (www.BagMonster.com) San Francisco�s Anti-Bag Monster agenda is spreading around the world and it's getting harder to be a Bag Monster in the Age of Bag Bans! I can't even get a job because of those new-fandangled reusable bags.
Posted by Bag Monster | February 8, 2008 7:59 PM
Posted on February 8, 2008 19:59
Ironically, plastic bags are the most re-used form of garbage there is. It's also ironic that we're cutting down more trees to save the environment.
For the average, bill-paying citizen, the ban on plastic bags means spending more time, money and energy carrying his/her groceries home. Meanwhile, oil consumption will not decrease. Huge SUVs keep rolling out while petroleum companies continue to whimsically raise the price of gas.
Banning the use of plastic bags is an environmental red-herring. Obviously throwing plastic bags on the ground is not good. That's why there are fines for littering.
But, between pouring oil into the atmosphere with our cars and throwing plastic bags on the ground, the former seems worse. I wonder, what is the equivalent in plastic bags to an average car's 25-gallon gas tank?
Besides, if there's one thing oil is good for, it's for making plastic. Plastic is cheap, sanitary and easy to recycle.
Posted by patrick | February 11, 2008 9:07 PM
Posted on February 11, 2008 21:07