Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Celebration of the Plastic Bag


City Hall wants to charge 6 cents every time New Yorkers request a plastic bag at the checkout line. This measure could potentially raise revenue for the City; but it doesn't make sense to many of us because we simply can't ween ourselves off of them.

Excuse 1. Many pedestrians in NYC struggle to carry empty reusable bags around town.

Excuse 2. It's a mindless oversight that can be altered through behavioral reconditioning.

Excuse 3. If consumers cannot collect them for free, they will have to purchase them for disposing trash.

But as a NY Times article suggests, plastic bags are often recycled for collecting human/pet waste, but until bio-degradable bags reach the marketplace they will continue to clutter our landfill space. Until then, the cabinet under my kitchen sink and two desk draws at work will remain packed with them, ready for reuse.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Indeed, the fact that many americans can't ween themselves off of plastic bags is a problem. And it will be a problem as long as the bags are free.

Putting a monetary value to the plastic bag is the best way to solve the problem. Will not make anyone poor, and will make everyone think of the environmental consequences of paying the few cents it might cost.

This measure has been implemented in many European countries. And it has always worked. No bio-degradable bag will work if plastic bags continue to be free.