Ireland rids itself of a plastic nuisance

[robert]

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/31/europe/bags.php

[Guest]

I wish that were the case here. We had a bill on the table for our country council but they didn't pass it. We are getting rid of them at our bike shop supposedly. Our boss says we won't be ordering anymore plastic bags...once the ones we have now are gone....its all paper.

[BodhiDave85]

I'm trying to get my parents to stop using plastic/paper bags, and its not working very well.

 

My question is, and I've been meaning to ask for a long time, we end up using all the bags as trashbags or in some way recycling them all.

 

Is that having STILL having as much of a negative effect on the environment?

 

I even bought them like 10 expensive shopping totes, but they are so addicted to the "convience" of the bags.

[bvp663]

I heard a rumbling that Whole Foods was going to get rid of plastic bags entirely and only offer paper bags. Not sure where I read this or if it were true, but it'd be an interesting move.

[robert]

Something to think about, and it can be validated or not.......but MOST of the reusable cloth bags are all made in China, most likely in sweatshops.

 

I don't know of plastic bags are made locally or not, but the reusable bags are made oversees in most likely, very poor working conditions.

 

Does that impact the "environment", it certainly does for those who work in that "environment" and what is says about people in general.

[Guest]

Reusing bags for trash is better than nothing because you'd double that number if you just bought trash bags...it could be better though.

 

When it comes to those reusable bags I don't think they'd really need all that much human labor to make them. They have no complex curves or hard to get to spaces to sew and I can imagine they're made nearly 100% by a machine....same goes for plastic bags.

[hsorlando]

Maybe it's time we atart sewing our own cloth bags. That way you have a reusable bag, and your also not supporting sweatshop factories.

[BodhiDave85]

I heard a rumbling that Whole Foods was going to get rid of plastic bags entirely and only offer paper bags. Not sure where I read this or if it were true, but it'd be an interesting move.

 

You are right they are getting rid of plastic bags once they run out of their stock. I went there today and there was a sign that said all plastic bags should be gone by april!!!! YAY!