San Francisco to ban plastic grocery bags

[Guest]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/27/environment.baggs.reut/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to become the first U.S. city to ban plastic bags from large supermarkets to help promote recycling.

Under the legislation, beginning in six months large supermarkets and drugstores will not be allowed to offer plastic bags made from petroleum products.

"Many [foreign] cities and nations have already implemented very similar legislation," said Ross Mirkarimi, the city legislator who championed the new law. "It's astounding that San Francisco would be the first U.S. city to follow suit." (Watch why it's no longer politically correct to 'think plastics' Video)

"I am hopeful that other U.S. cities will also adopt similar legislation," he said. "Why wait for the federal government to enact legislation that gets to the core of this problem when local governments can just step up to the plate?"

The city's Department of the Environment said San Francisco uses 181 million plastic grocery bags annually. Plans dating back a decade to encourage recycling of the bags have largely failed, with shoppers returning just one percent of bags, said department spokesman Mark Westland.

Mirkarimi said the ban would save 450,000 gallons of oil a year and remove the need to send 1,400 tons of debris now sent annually to landfills. The new rules would, however, allow recyclable plastic bags, which are not widely used today.

A spokesman for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who must approve or veto the legislation, called it sensible. "Chances are good that he is going to sign it," said Nathan Ballard.

Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Thank God. This needs to be done around the world.

 

[Guest]

yeah fuck the homeless and indigent; we gotta get these plastic bags off our streets.

 

[genkisan]

Finally, something is being done about the fucking scourge of the environment that are plastic shopping bags.


Legislation against crap like plastic bags is long overdue.

 

[marx2k]

I vote they go further with this and press companies to create less packaging for the products they put out. Removing plastic bags are a step in the right direction, and more should be done. Other countries are already doing this and more, we should too.

 

[lifetime]

yeah because the paper bags they use aren't shipped in 18-wheelers that burn petroleum products

 

[genkisan]

yeah because the paper bags they use aren't shipped in 18-wheelers that burn petroleum products

Fuck paper bags too....every one should use hemp-fiber bags and reuse them.


If you can't put at least that much effort into doing SOMETHING about the wanton destruction of our only home, you are a pathetic sack of rancid pigshit, IHMO.

 

[SomeGuy]

We call them "Bentonville Tumbleweeds" in honor of Walmart.

 

[marx2k]

yeah because the paper bags they use aren't shipped in 18-wheelers that burn petroleum products

Consider the fact that they're made of paper and not plastic at least taking one awful thing out of the environment. At least the paper can degrade.

I could go on and on about reusing bags and advocacy for buying locally, but you would fall asleep by the time I'm done.

I bike to the grocery store with my bookbag, buy local unprocessed whole foods (not at whole food$), put them into my bookbag, bike back and prepare them at home.

It's one of the best ways I've found of staying fit. Bike to the store with a bookbag, fill it with unprocessed foods (whole ingredients) and bike back. You never get more than you can put into the bookbag and when you need more, you bike (not drive) back to the store.

Of course, this really only works if you are supporting yourself with the food and maybe your gilfriend like I am.

 

[Guest]

I know republicans who scream "This is a nanny-law!!!!"

Ridiculous... (the republicans, that is)

Great law.

 

[Speeding Mullet]

They actually have rolled out fully biodegradeable plastic bags in most of england major supermarkets now, so no need for landfill, and no need to destroy the forests either.

Obviously the production of these bags still rapes the environment over a gigantic table, but its a step in the right direction.

SM

 

[lifetime]

They actually have rolled out fully biodegradeable plastic bags in most of england major supermarkets now, so no need for landfill, and no need to destroy the forests either.

Obviously the production of these bags still rapes the environment over a gigantic table, but its a step in the right direction.

SM

i don't know much on the processing part, but have you ever kept plastic bags around? i had one pinned up on my wall for 2 or 3 years (was a bag from a special mail order place), and when i went to move out of the room, the bag disintegrated when i tried to take it down.

 

[Speeding Mullet]

Yup, they would appear to disintegrate within 2-3 years in my experience. This is a darn site better than the 400 years for regular plastics. Some people say almost all plastics ever made will have some grasp on the world still in traces.

This is a really well thought out and interesting website from a UK company making these biodegradeable bags. Have a look at the website and check out the plastic bag useage counter on the front page, its scary!!

http://www.degradable.net/

SM

 

[Guest]

I know republicans who scream "This is a nanny-law!!!!"

It is; there are some real honest to goodness problems out there; and there are alot of people out there who need help, and this kind of shit is where we focus our attention instead.

 

[genkisan]

It is; there are some real honest to goodness problems out there; and there are alot of people out there who need help, and this kind of shit is where we focus our attention instead.

Hate to break it to ya, but the folks who really need our help the most are the children who will inherit this planet......without our help right now, they will have nothing to live in but a barren waste full of dead cars, concrete and blowing plastic bags.

Yes, there are many other issues...but getting rid of the plastic bag problem is an esay one to take, and does not detract form anything else that could be done.....far form it, it raises awareness while getting rid of a serious pollutant.

 

[Speeding Mullet]

Its nice that there are big grants available in the uk for exactly this kind of environmentaly positive research.

Its not so nice however when you hear of people falsely linking their research to earth boiling just to raise their chances of getting a grant.

SM

 

[Pops]

Anyone have any idea just how many acres of California forest that will have to be cut down to make the 181 million paper bags that will be needed to replace the 181 million plastic bags in San Francisco?

 

[Guest]

you say that like you're presenting a pov that I haven't considered, or you're informing me of something which I wasn't already aware. the reality of the situation though is that this is just the kind of ephemera that keeps us from really getting at much larger issues that are plaguing us. sorry, but banning plastic grocery bags isn't going to sure-up the future for the next generation.

on top of that, discounting all other groups of needful people and saying children are the only group that really matters for the future is bothersome. there's alot that could be done today, right now to improve the quality of life for the needy. this is under the government's purview; raising, education, protecting, and providing for my children isn't.

understand that I personally could care less about these issues; I'm just offering another point of view.

 

[SEEDYNONO]

i hate all the shit i have to throw away everyday.

way to much packaging in america.. i'm down to scale back the packaging.. especially plastics!

 

[Guest]

I couldn't agree more; I'm all about recycling. I wish I could get more people on board. I'm the president of the environment club at school; people are really receptive to what we do, and we get some good work done.

my whole point with my responses is that with a little bit of personal responsibility, this issue wouldn't have to become a matter of legislation. then lawmakers could be left to more important issues; unfortunately, this isn't the reality of the world we live in.

 

[Speeding Mullet]

Uk food markets are already under oath to reduce the amount of packaging they need by something like 70% in 5 years. Another small component of the robot trying to take a giant step.

SM