Sometimes, There’s So Much Beauty In The World: Bags Be Gone!
That was the day we realized that there was this incredibly benevolent force that wants you to know that Philly might actually just straight up ban plastic bags in 2011.
5 Responses to “Sometimes, There’s So Much Beauty In The World: Bags Be Gone!”
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June 10th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Pointless legislation.
Why not just start asking shops to ask customers if they even want one? Its easier, simpler, and costs less than passing another stupid “Big Brother Government” law.
http://markskull.blogspot.com/2009/05/philadelphia-city-council-wants-to-ban.html
June 10th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I hate bags, I have way too many of them, but banning them outright is insane and a $0.25 charge too much. Make them $0.05 or $0.10. This will force shops to ask customers if they want one, and give an incentive for people to say no. As Larry says, just the simple act of asking people will cut down on bag use.
Furthermore, banning plastic bags is not bicycle friendly, and we all know how Mayor Bust-a-nutter wants to keep in good with the cyclists. Putting a plastic bag over the handlebars is much easier and safer than paper bags, which have a tendency to tear and bang into spokes. This has been a real hassle at Whole Foods ever since they got rid of plastic (yes, I have reusable bags but sometimes even the best intentioned of us forget to bring them, or run out of space).
June 10th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
salespeople are fucking AGGRESSIVE in bag-giving, unless you’re at some yuppie heaven spot. i’d love to see’em fined or something.
personally, i like mandatory bag fees as opposed to an outright ban. the worst bag users, from my supermarket experience, are the same people who are on the 11′o’clock news talking about how they feed a family of 10 on coupons, duct tape and spit.
June 10th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
If they aggressively try to give you a bag you either don’t want or need, just tell them “no thanks.” I don’t live in a yuppie area by any means, but if someone tries to give me a bad I don’t need, I just say, “No thanks, I’ve got it.”
That’s about it.
In my blog post that I link to, I pointed out a story of how a local store clerk gave me a discount on my groceries because I did bring my own bag. More stuff like that (incentives on the part of retailers, using common sense) is a LOT better than banning these bags or imposing a fine.
The only reason this is being considered, and I stress ONLY REASON, is because they need a way to come up with some cash to help the budget deficit. I say enforce littering laws and other ticketable and fineable offense already in place.
June 11th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
I like it. When I go to CVS or Target and want to use my own bag, the clerks can barely deal. I’d rather have “bring you own” be the default, even if I will inevitably forget sometimes and have to shell out a few quarters.
I should note that my husband, the bookstore-owner, is concerned about what will happen on rainy days if plastic bags are verboten….