What do you think about these cities banning plastic bags - good idea?
San Francisco has become the first US city to ban ordinary plastic shopping bags, joining South Africa, Taiwan, Bangladesh and Paris in the scheme. Instead, retailers must give the customers a choice of paper or cloth bags as well as offering biodegradable bags made from corn by-products. The ban gives large retailers with annual turnover of $2 million or more six months and larger pharmacies a year to make the switch to the more eco-friendly bags.
Do you think that this is a good move? Personally, I'm glad to see that people are taking action on environmental problems.
I was told that the bags were made from RECYCLED paper, I should have mentioned this. Plus, there's the minor detail that not all the bags will be made from paper - there are other materials being used for over half of them!
Excellent idea.
We were on holiday in France last summer and they do not provide plastic bags - or any bags - at the checkouts.
They sell large heavy-duty bags which you re-use forever. They only cost about £1. We bought 2 and use them when shopping back home.
About time we did the same in the UK, I'm tired of seeing carrier bags in the hedgerows and in the street.
Edit: To all the people moaning about cutting trees down to make paper bags - that is not the issue. There are loads of alternatives to thin supermarket carrier bags. If you buy a sturdy plastic bag it can be used for months and the shop will swap it when it rips and ensure the old one is recycled. Then there are fabric, hessian bags that last for ages.
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