Why did the environmentalists allow plastic bags in the first place?

Question

San Francisco has banned plastic bags for environmental reasons. Why did they allow them in the first place? Do you think going "Green" is the new political mantra of the decade?

Steve C: Sam's super store does just that. They leave the boxes for the customers to use.

There were good ideas in everyone's reply.
personal bags, cardboard boxes, biodegradable plastic is still to expensive, follow the money, bags in the first place to save trees.

If it is all about the money trail, how can we make the money trail pro green?

Personally, I hate the plastic bags. They don't hold as much as the paper, I've had more plastic bags tear and fall apart than I've had paper bags tear. I can't use them for book covers, or mailing, or craft paper. I also asked for paper bags instead of plastic.

Matt: Indeed, what is the incentive now to go back to paper or biodegradable bags unless it gets you politcal kudos or somehow makes a profit?

Answer 1

Plastic bags were supposed to replace brown paper bags, so we wouldn't have to cut down any more trees. This goes in cycles. Unless you provide people with an incentive, environmental stuff goes on deaf ears.

Answer 2

The environmentalists do not control everything. Plastic bags became vogue because of their versatility and expansion room, not to mention the convenient handles you can slide up your arms and carry a ton of groceries at once. We reuse some of them at home, but I have to agree that we should probably outlaw them and return to paper bags, or even better, personal reusable shopping bags. I don't know if it's the new mantra, but it's hard to find fault with trying to get rid of objects that we don't HAVE to have and that aren't biodegradable.

Answer 3

Why shouldn't it be...and just so it is known not all plastic bags are banned, just non-biodegradable petroleum based bags. There are other bags that are similiar, only difference is that they can break down or be recycled. I think it is a great thing...I encourage the development of green technologies, I consider it "responsible humanity".

Answer 4

Seems stupid to use any kind of bag at all.
We could just load the groceries into the very boxes they are shipped to the store in. But instead they are usually crushed and recycled. Seems you could load some boxes up one time,
load your groceries out of the buggy into them, for carrying in your car. And reuse the boxes 100's of times, but alas that wouldn't be as convenient I suppose.

Answer 5

Ironically, the environmentalists brought us plastic bags, to "save trees."

And while environmentalists were banning paper, I was asking for it. Because I saw, way back then, that we were going to have a plastic problem.

Environmentalists suffer under the delusion that they are the only ones who care about the environment. The true conservationists have always been farmers and hunters. Always.

Answer 6

Environmentalists are not the ones producing bad products..The consumers have to be educated and that takes a while

Answer 7

because when the original plastic bag was made they didnt care/ know about the harms that plastic bags could create.

Answer 8

how is it that you think environmentalists run plastic factories?

you might also consider that they were saving trees
and the petroleum by products that plastic is made of exist anyway

Answer 9

Who died and left environmentalists in charge of anything?

What if a group got together and banned environmentalists?

Creeping socialism. They grab more and more power as you slowly capitulate.




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Answer 10

DOW CHEMICAL...LOOK UP WHICH POLITICAL PARTY THEY CONTRIBUTE TO MOST HEAVILY.
Environment laws are enacted by congress, follow the money.