One such example of this was a recent decision by the Toronto, Ontario, Canada city council decision to ban plastic bags. Article by CPIA (Candian Plastics Industry Association) stated the following:
"TORONTO, June 7, 2012 - The Toronto City Council voted yesterday to a) rescind the bag fee by-law effective July 1, and b) impose a ban on plastic bags. The ban bylaw, which will take effect January 1, 2013, bans plastic grocery and other single use plastic retail store bags."
Also..."While we’re pleased that the bag bylaw has been rescinded, the bag ban seems to have come from nowhere, without any forethought or discourse, and it’s a shock. We are going to look at all of our available options, including the legality of the ban." Full Story here Toronto Bag Ban
A decision, it appears, that was based on emotion rather than fact. Much has been written and studied on why bag bans do not work yet they never seem to be included in city councils decision making process.
Another article from CPIA on why bag bans do not work can be found here with an exert from the article below displaying the adverse implications of imposing such bans.
Bans actually result in the consumption of more plastic and paper resulting in more waste going to landfill, not less.
In Ireland, after
the bag tax was introduced in 2002, consumers switched to different bag options
to avoid the tax. They switched to heavy duty plastic bags, like kitchen
catchers, for their household garbage. These heavier bags contain 81% more
plastic that retail plastic carry bags.
The end result was
that the amount of plastic used in Ireland actually increased by 21 percent even though the number of plastic shopping
bags handed out at check out decreased 90 percent. This resulted in a
significant increase in the amount of material going into landfill not less.
From CPIA Article WHY PLASTIC SHOPPING BAG BANSAND TAXES DON’T WORK
These articles focused on financial and waste implications but there are more serious implications that may not be as visible. Cloth bags are being used as alternatives to plastic bags to assist in carrying our grocery, retail and other consumable goods. While these seem to be a great alternative because of their strength they also come with some potential negative aspects as well. They do have a useful shelf life but the only disposal option at the end of their life is landfill. They are more expensive. They can not be recycled. Most alarming, they can attribute to illness and be an easy carrier of airborne disease.
Oregon placed a ban on plastic bags and shortly after there was an incident that can be considered coincidence. However the timing is in question when a team of 13 and 14 year old kids and their chaperones became ill. Please see the EmaxHealth article for this full story. Scientists pinpointed the reason why all of these children and adults became sick which led them to cookies eaten out of a reusable cloth bag that was in one sick girls room. "The scientists tested the bag and it was positive for the virus, even two weeks later" Are these bag bans forcing us into alternatives that can potentially harm us?
An interesting blog that I read titled
Reusable Grocery Bags: Shocking Scary New Study!
In a shocking new study conducted by the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University in California, it was found that 12% of re-useable bags contained Escherichia coli (E.Coli)!!! Even more disturbing, is that when meat juices were added to the bags and stored in the trunks of cars for two hours, there was a two-fold increase in the number of bacteria, indicating the potential for bacteria growth in these bags! The purpose of this study was to assess the potential for cross-contamination of food products from reusable bags used to carry groceries.
Like it or not, accept it or not, we have made plastic bags a huge part of our lives and they do have positive uses in our day to day lives.
They are a cost effective way to carry our consumables home
They can be recycled
They can be biodegradable if they happen to find their way into the environment
They can be reused as many of us do for garbage in our homes
They can be used to carry our lunch to work/school
They can be used to carry a spare set of clothes to the beach
They can be used to wrap greasy car parts in when going to replace them
They can be used to keep the water off our feet or heads in a rain storm
They can be used to carry soggy laundry from the camping trip or vacation property
They can be used as protective packaging fill when shipping important packages
And the list goes on.......
What chances are we taking with the health and well being of our families just because one person at one point in time decided that plastic bags were going to destroy the earth? There are ways to makes them work to our benefit while not creating issues for our environment.
What chances are we taking with the health and well being of our families just because one person at one point in time decided that plastic bags were going to destroy the earth? There are ways to makes them work to our benefit while not creating issues for our environment.
