Should Indiana bag disposable grocery bags?

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Permalink Reply by Karen Mangia on June 12, 2009 at 12:17am

Ban paper and plastic bags!! This is one of the easiest things, most cost effective steps we can take to decrease pollution. It would be nice for Indiana to be an early adopter rather than a lagger in this area!

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Permalink Reply by Faith Wesstrom on June 12, 2009 at 12:24am

It is a "luxury" that we get free plastic disposable grocery bags here. In Sweden where I stayed for awhile, we had to pay for the grocery bags so we always have a few with us when we go grocery shopping. As such, I think we(my household) have taken these free bags for granted. Although I recognize that plastics may not be helping the environment, I am in favor of the disposable plastics bags as I reuse them for cat litter primarily and general trash. Given that trash is only picked up weekly, it's hard to lump all trash into a catch-all bin, at least in my household. I've also gotten re-usable tote bags over the years from giveaways at expos and events but have rarely remembered to bring with me to the grocery stores. I even bought a re-usuable grocery bag from IKEA in IL but instead of using it for what I guess it was meant to be used..we used it as laundry bag instead! My husband is so happy about the capacity of this bag that we had to buy another one so he can use it for his other stuff..i.e other than for what's it was designed to be used for.

As a general observance..it appears that reusuable bags are not often used for what they were supposed to be used for, instead, depending on the aesthetics and design of the reusable bags, they seem to serve more as an accessory to one's wardrobe or for other purposes.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah Norman on June 12, 2009 at 1:09am

I'm on the fence with this one. I completely understand the daunting negative effects that disposable bags have. However, I do reuse them; I store newspapers and magazines to be recycled in paper bags, and utilize the plastic bags for *ahem* disposing of cat litter box waste. Without disposable bags, I'm not sure what I could use in place of these.

It reminds me of the whole cloth diaper vs. disposable diaper situation. I can't think of a single parent who still uses cloth diapers, because while they are a better alternative for the environment, it comes down to the inconvenience caused by having to wash the diapers every day and thinking of a way to store them while traveling away from home.

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Permalink Reply by Pat Coyle on June 12, 2009 at 8:20am

Our family uses cloth diapers...and believe it or not, lots of others do too...in fact, there are lively online communities (mostly for moms) who cloth diaper their kids, like diaper pin

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Permalink Reply by Brigid Manning-Hamilton on June 13, 2009 at 9:25pm

I have had many many discussions over the years about cloth v. disposable diapers and don't think cloth diapers are indisputably "greener" than disposable. They have to be washed, in HOT water with detergent, dried -- how many people hang them out to dry? -- and so forth. I'm not against them; but I don't think they're a more virtuous choice than disposable.

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Permalink Reply by Lori Watson on June 12, 2009 at 1:39am

There's a simpler answer...require that all plastic bags be made of recyclable plastic then require those establishments that use them (to bag customer purchases) to collect the used bags for a recycling program. Personally...I hate those plastic bags..they rip, they cut into my hands when they are heavy, in the trunk they don't hold items and stuff ends up rolling around in the trunk. At the grocery store you end up using so many of them because they hold so little. I prefer paper which is also recyclable. And yes, I do recycle both types of bags.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Shirley on June 12, 2009 at 5:11am

Absolutely! I invested in reusable bags months back and I've already seen a huge difference from it. No longer am I collecting vast amounts of plastic bags to recycle once a month. No longer am I watching my groceries fall out of cheap plastic bags or wet paper bags. The fact is, for less than 5 dollars I was able to by 3 reusable bags at ALDI food store and I've been able to use them more times than I can count. I'm sure there are cheaper ones around and they will get cheaper as they catch on with the masses. They have completely met their cost to savings ratio in my book as well they have saved the production of lord knows how many bags. Quite frankly, if there was to be a drive to rid the state, country or the world of the use of paper or more so plastic bags. It would have to come with a exceptionally good reason for people to shell out a small amount of money for the reusable bags. Face it inherently all people are cheap and most can't see past the end of their nose and believe it or not some still think global warming and pollution by man is a myth. Taxing is down right an absurd idea... Charging the customer X amount per bag or taxing them per bag at the store is reasonable and if the cost is high enough they might just buy the reusable bags.

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Permalink Reply by Tressa Mazhandu on June 12, 2009 at 6:59am

I have found myself resuing paper bags until they break, using reusable bags and such. The plastic bags do have a purpose, however, such as dirty diapers. That may not seem green to use disposable diapers, however as a single mom of 3 who owns a small business I can't imagine washing diapers daily. The plastic bags are perfect at home or on the go for disposing of such items. Ban them, no thank you.

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Permalink Reply by Trena Goble Roush on June 12, 2009 at 7:31am

I agree with Teri that the use of reusable bags could/should be incentivised. Charge a small fee for the plastic bags. If you don't need a fresh plastic or paper bag on your next trip, great, no charge. I think more people would be accepting of the idea if they felt like they were being rewarded for an action (using reusable bags) rather than punished or being banned from an act altogether.

Personally, I have been lazy and simply need a kick in the pants to start carrying my reusable bags in my car. It's all about educating and motivating people - habits will change. Perhaps slowly, but they can change when people don't feel like they are having something taken away.

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Permalink Reply by Charles Timm on June 12, 2009 at 7:51am

Competition
Goal is to provide a Bio degradable transport container, motivation threw competition to achieve a goal
Incentive(s) are to be Public promotion ( advertisement ) and such

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Permalink Reply by Casey Kenley on June 12, 2009 at 8:32am

Using plastic bags on a regular basis is an example of choosing short-term convenience over long-term consequences. It's simply short sighted. Getting in the habit of carrying readily available reusable bags is just like anything else modern consumers have turned into habits: PDAs, cell phones, credit cards -- don't leave home without them. Considering there is a stronger, more sustainable and, in the long run, cheaper substitute for plastic and paper, I'd love to see a ban on those throwaway shopping bags.

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Permalink Reply by Charity White on June 12, 2009 at 8:55am

I, for one, only use the reusable sacks anymore. As I tell my friends, I'm off the plastic.

As a business woman, I know my opinion may be a bit controversial, but I think the STORES should be responsible for leading change where bags are concerned.

Sure, most retail grocery stores offer free paper or plastic, yet they charge up to $1 (that's being generous) for an environmentally friendly bag. I suggest that the stores lead this change by doing one of the following:
1. Only use/give reusable bags, free of charge to customers
2. Give customers who use environmentally friendly bags a discount off their bill

As to point one, sure, there is a cost involved. But there was a cost associated to moving from paper to plastic. This is simply the cost of doing business in an environmentally conscious world. I also believe that any store to take such a bold move, will optimize their business presence and customer base more effectively than their competitors. Giving away reusable bags for free is also a very smart marketing tool for businesses as well as just being "the right thing to do."

To point two, I simply think it only fair of businesses to provide customers who have invested in reusable bags a discount off their bill of sale. Whether it be a certain dollar amount, a percentage, or a "per bag" discount, a discount is in order. Not only have these customers made an investment, but you must assume they use these bags in other places, therefore, creating more of a buzz for said business. Additionally, stores are giving the "bad bags" away for free, what message does that send customers? What does that say about the value system of that business?

As a service based business owner, this is not a subject which I deal with in relation to my bottom line. But, I can offer this; even I have allocated monies in the marketing budget to get reusable bags manufactured with our logo. I want to send the message that we are an environmentally friendly company who cares about our customers and our world. I want people carrying at least one of our bags to the mall, to the grocery, anywhere!

Bottom line, as business owners, we are leaders. We all volunteered to be responsible good stewards of the world, and the customers, God has provided. It is up to us to lead this change, and so, we shall. Go forth and lead, responsibly and with courage and reckless innovation!

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