Plastic Grocery Bag Debate
Reducing the number of bags going into landfills is a worthy goal. I just hope they see the forest through the trees. There’s a much bigger picture to look at. For instance, a lot of people (at lest in the US) use plastic grocery bags inserted in trash cans to hold their refuse. It keeps the can from getting all slimy and gross from food scraps and other wet garbage.
If you reduce the number of available bags, many of those people will turn to buying plastic trash bags off the shelf. If those bags are not biodegradable, they will simply replace grocery bags in the landfills. And, most of those bags are thicker to prevent ripping out so by eliminating grocery bags, we may actually increase the amount of plastic bags in landfills.
I don’t have any scientific evidence for my conclusion and that is why I used the word “may.” I just think it is a point worth raising before we get all gung ho about the reduction of plastic grocery bags.
Tags: biodegradable, trees