Are You Willing to Pay 10 Cent per Plastic Bag?

[JKMadyson]

Not really a fan, but its not enough to disrupt my life either way. (I live in Toronto and we've got a plastic-bag bylaw.)

One thing that does annoy me a little -- prior to the ban I was able to re-use the plastic shopping bags as garbage can liners/dog poop bags/etc, now I have to purchase bags for these specific purposes instead. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense if people have to start buying bags to replace the ones we used to get for free.

Either way, I still use plastic bags in addition to reusable bags. My shopping habits haven't changed much, as $0.05 is really not enough to make a noticeable difference, and there are not very many good alternatives (sorry, paper bags are not gonna happen! Although yes, I do use biodegradable plastic bags from time to time).

 

[horseshowmom]

I wouldn't use reusable bags even if they charged 20 cents per plastic bag. When I buy groceries I usually buy $300 worth. There is no way I could lug in enough bags for all my stuff.

That was the first thing I thought too. I live in a rural area and tend to buy groceries all at once. That would be a lot of reusable bags.

I will be the first to admit that I don't like plastic bags (seems like you see them everywhere as trash), but I do reuse them for one thing or another. I like buying things at Sam's and using the boxes they have piled up. I try to keep one large box in my car to hold items.

As other posters have said, I don't see why we can't go back to paper bags. That's a renewable resource.

 

[iheartdisney]

No, I would not be willing to pay! I know that those plastic bags do not cost anywhere close to 10 cents, so where is that money going? back to the consumer in the form of lower costs? NOPE!
If the store has imposed the fee, it goes straight into their pockets. If your municipality has imposed a bag tax, they have just found another way to pick your pocket.

I live on the outskirts of the city we live in, so it really is equal distance to drive up the hill to the next town- which has a plastic bag BAN or i can drive down to my town. Guess which Vons i go to? Even though the kids school is closer to the bag ban town, I'll drive past my house to get to grocery store in my town.

Nothing is 100% environmentally friendly. Even the reusable bag are leaving a carbon footprint in the form of the water and detergent used to wash them. Not to mention that eventually they will end up in a landfill, and are not biodegradable. And the few reusable bags I've bought end up in landfill sooner, rather than later.

I have family members that use disposable diapers (yuck) and they wrap each poopy diaper in a plastic store bag (Walmart, produce, etc)...it literally made me sick to my stomach seeing them do that...as if disposable diapers aren't bad enough already.

Know what makes me literally sick to my stomach? The smell of a diaper that has been baking in the trash can without being wrapped in a plastic bag first!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

One thing that does annoy me a little -- prior to the ban I was able to re-use the plastic shopping bags as garbage can liners/dog poop bags/etc, now I have to purchase bags for these specific purposes instead. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense if people have to start buying bags to replace the ones we used to get for free.

Either way, I still use plastic bags in addition to reusable bags. My shopping habits haven't changed much, as $0.05 is really not enough to make a noticeable difference, and there are not very many good alternatives (sorry, paper bags are not gonna happen! Although yes, I do use biodegradable plastic bags from time to time).

See, that's what makes me wonder. If you take away the el-cheapo, thin plastic bags I get for free, the ones I'm gonna buy are going to be thicker, and I'll be using heavier plastic substitutes in packing and such. . .so I'll have MORE waste, not less.

Nothing is 100% environmentally friendly. Even the reusable bag are leaving a carbon footprint in the form of the water and detergent used to wash them. Not to mention that eventually they will end up in a landfill, and are not biodegradable. And the few reusable bags I've bought end up in landfill sooner, rather than later.

My reusable bags are mainly degradable as they're mostly cotton (except for the cheapo paper cloth bags). The cold bags aren't, but I'd use those anyway. But I agree. . .I can use this really thin plastic, which is inert in the land fill (Honestly, I don't think those plastic bags are the big contributers to a landfill.), or I can wash them and use up resources in the soap bought and the energy to put them through the machine and the dryer.

Hey, my husband works up the road at the plant that makes our power, thus I have a vested interest in keeping them running, so wash away, but environmentally, just how much of a change in footprints does the change make?

 

[lauradis]

You drive to store, use your own shopping bags to save the environment from one less plastic bag, oh by the way everything on the shelves was brought there by many trucks, and then get back in your car and drive home.

This sounds like save the plant from evil humans crap...

No they shouldn't tax plastic bags.

 

[scrapquitler]

I usually bring my reusable bags with me, but sometimes I forget. The thing that more commonly happens is that I bring a couple bags, but then end up buying a lot more things than fit in the bags I bring.

I wouldn't really have that much of a problem paying for the bags if I only had to buy a couple of them (I reuse them as trash can liners and for tossing the kitty litter, so I do need to have some around anyway).

HOWEVER. My local Wal-Mart where I do the majority of my grocery shopping bags things in a completely ridiculous manner and it would cost me a FORTUNE to pay for each bag they use, because they use so many of them. The last time I did a medium/large shopping trip I counted the bags that I brought home there were 32 bags. I spent $110 on groceries and the lady used 32 bags to bag it. The only meats I purchased were a pound of hamburger and a package of chicken, she put each of them in a separate bag to keep them from leaking, then she put each of those bags in a bag AND DOUBLE BAGGED IT. She didn't put anything else in with it. Then a bag of chips I bought, she bagged, DOUBLE BAGGED and didn't put anything else in with it. They double bag everything, then never put more than about four items in a bag, and they end up using a ridiculous number of bags. If I were paying for them, I'd be annoyed, and I would hope that they would learn to use more common sense while bagging the items. I'd like them to use more common sense bagging them even if I'm NOT paying, really. But if I'm paying it would feel like I was being scammed paying for 4 bags to bag those two packages of meat.

 

[scrapquitler]

I usually bring my reusable bags with me, but sometimes I forget. The thing that more commonly happens is that I bring a couple bags, but then end up buying a lot more things than fit in the bags I bring.

I wouldn't really have that much of a problem paying for the bags if I only had to buy a couple of them (I reuse them as trash can liners and for tossing the kitty litter, so I do need to have some around anyway).

HOWEVER. My local Wal-Mart where I do the majority of my grocery shopping bags things in a completely ridiculous manner and it would cost me a FORTUNE to pay for each bag they use, because they use so many of them. The last time I did a medium/large shopping trip I counted the bags that I brought home there were 32 bags. I spent $110 on groceries and the lady used 32 bags to bag it. The only meats I purchased were a pound of hamburger and a package of chicken, she put each of them in a separate bag to keep them from leaking, then she put each of those bags in a bag AND DOUBLE BAGGED IT. She didn't put anything else in with it. Then a bag of chips I bought, she bagged, DOUBLE BAGGED and didn't put anything else in with it. They double bag everything, then never put more than about four items in a bag, and they end up using a ridiculous number of bags. If I were paying for them, I'd be annoyed, and I would hope that they would learn to use more common sense while bagging the items. I'd like them to use more common sense bagging them even if I'm NOT paying, really. But if I'm paying it would feel like I was being scammed paying for 4 bags to bag those two packages of meat.

 

[scrapquitler]

I usually bring my reusable bags with me, but sometimes I forget. The thing that more commonly happens is that I bring a couple bags, but then end up buying a lot more things than fit in the bags I bring.

I wouldn't really have that much of a problem paying for the bags if I only had to buy a couple of them (I reuse them as trash can liners and for tossing the kitty litter, so I do need to have some around anyway).

HOWEVER. My local Wal-Mart where I do the majority of my grocery shopping bags things in a completely ridiculous manner and it would cost me a FORTUNE to pay for each bag they use, because they use so many of them. The last time I did a medium/large shopping trip I counted the bags that I brought home there were 32 bags. I spent $110 on groceries and the lady used 32 bags to bag it. The only meats I purchased were a pound of hamburger and a package of chicken, she put each of them in a separate bag to keep them from leaking, then she put each of those bags in a bag AND DOUBLE BAGGED IT. She didn't put anything else in with it. Then a bag of chips I bought, she bagged, DOUBLE BAGGED and didn't put anything else in with it. They double bag everything, then never put more than about four items in a bag, and they end up using a ridiculous number of bags. If I were paying for them, I'd be annoyed, and I would hope that they would learn to use more common sense while bagging the items. I'd like them to use more common sense bagging them even if I'm NOT paying, really. But if I'm paying it would feel like I was being scammed paying for 4 bags to bag those two packages of meat.

 

[crisi]

You drive to store, use your own shopping bags to save the environment from one less plastic bag, oh by the way everything on the shelves was brought there by many trucks, and then get back in your car and drive home.

This sounds like save the plant from evil humans crap...

No they shouldn't tax plastic bags.

So, because you can't do a little bit, we might as well do nothing? We now know we can put nuclear waste in your back yard.

 

[Colleen27]

My reusable bags are mainly degradable as they're mostly cotton (except for the cheapo paper cloth bags). The cold bags aren't, but I'd use those anyway. But I agree. . .I can use this really thin plastic, which is inert in the land fill (Honestly, I don't think those plastic bags are the big contributers to a landfill.), or I can wash them and use up resources in the soap bought and the energy to put them through the machine and the dryer.

Hey, my husband works up the road at the plant that makes our power, thus I have a vested interest in keeping them running, so wash away, but environmentally, just how much of a change in footprints does the change make?

The issues with plastic bags aren't the same as other issues of environmental footprint. Plastic never really goes away. It breaks down, but only into smaller bits of plastic, and once it gets small enough to be ingested by animal life it ultimately enters the food chain. That's an issue unique to plastics that has nothing to do with the amount of space taken up in a landfill or the carbon footprint of plastic vs reusable.

 

[Colleen27]

I will add that my wife religiously saves any plastic bags we do get, and takes them to the bag recycling bin at our grocery store.

I miss the recycling bins here. Most stores seem to have done away with them, probably because they were located in the same area as the bottle return and ended up used as trash cans despite huge signs identifying them as for plastic bags only.

See, that's what makes me wonder. If you take away the el-cheapo, thin plastic bags I get for free, the ones I'm gonna buy are going to be thicker, and I'll be using heavier plastic substitutes in packing and such. . .so I'll have MORE waste, not less.

But will you use as many? Before I switched to reusable bags I was bringing home 30-40 plastic bags a week; I have use for 4 or 5. I've found that I have that many from quick trips where I don't think about grabbing my bags and from DH or the kids stopping at the store (they never think about using the cloth bags), even though I don't get plastic from my regular shopping any more. But even if I did have to start buying them, I'd be buying far, far fewer than I was getting before.

 

[JillianMarie]

I HATE plastic bags. They should be banned entirely or if people insist on using them, they ought to be a couple dollars a piece. Something to make people actually feel their impact. I don't understand people's dislike of reusable bags. I have a set of heavy fabric bags given to me about 5 years ago and they're wonderful. I've never had an issue with meat spilling in them, and even if I did - I'd just throw the bag in the laundry like I normally do. The very few plastic bags we do seem to collect (thanks to my husband's less intense stance on this subject) get reused as trash can liners.

So, no, I would not pay for them.

 

[mm1971]

I saw this on the news and thought it would be a good idea actually. It would push more people into using more reusable bags, less plastic in the landfills. Do you think it's fair to impose this fee for bags?

http://politicker.com/2013/08/lawmakers-propose-mandatory-fee-for-plastic-bags-in-new-york-city/

Nope. Here is the way I look at it and please understand it's a principle, we actually use reusable bags where practical.

Stores have supplied some type of bag to shoppers forever. It is a service they provide to customers and the customer has the option to take advantage of it or not (and believe me, we pay for it). The concept is that we now force customers to pay $$ to buy a reusable bag or pay for something that was always available for free. I read these boards and all the complaints about Disney raising prices, service going down, don't get what you used to. It's the same principle. The cost of bags is built into the price we all pay for groceries.

My solution is...How about the store provides 10 cents off for every reusable bag that is being brought and used by the customer. Let them give back the $$ they are collecting as overhead for having to supply the bags. Now that I would be all for.

Let's be realistic. If someone cares about the environment and the bags hitting landfills, they are already requesting paper bags or using the reusable bags. Let's provide an incentive for people to be more environmentally friendly, not penalize them if they are not and allowing the stores to keep that money.

 

[redsonja76]

Living in Europe for the last couple of years, I've gotten really good at ALWAYS having my reusable a with me. They charge for paper or plastic bags, and I got tired of paying the fee, so now I always remember them. I don't get cheap reusable a though, I have baggus and they are awesome, go through the wash, and fold up really small. Also, a lot of Germans use reisenthels which I love!

www.baggu.com

www.reisenthel.com

 

[danygirl]

Where I live in Maryland we have a bag law and have to pay 5cents per bag. I hate it. We had to get ver creative to find alternative bags for pet waste!

 

[danygirl]

Oh and I have to watch the baggers as the tend to overload the bags and make them too heavy to carry because the bags as big and sturdy

 

[Dean1972]

In South Australia supermarkets charge 20 cents for a plastic recyclable bag
Re-usable enviro bags are sold by supermarket chains for $1.
If you forget your recyclable / reusable bags it can become an expensive exercise.
Now that plastic bags have been banned ( by law ) you kind of get used to it

 

[arminnie]

Where I live in Maryland we have a bag law and have to pay 5cents per bag. I hate it. We had to get ver creative to find alternative bags for pet waste!

When I had two dogs and was only buying groceries for 1 person I did not have enough bags for pet waste.

So I bought a box of bags - 1000 for less than $20. That was years ago. I must have a lifetime supply.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I am not a fan of plastic bags. We do reuse them at home but if I didn't use reusable bags, I'd be overrun with plastic ones with all of the trips to various stores I make.

I was at the grocery store today and had forgotten my reusable bags. The bagger started to use up way too many plastic bags for my 15 items. I can't stand that so I asked her to put more in each bag so I only had 3 bags when it was done.

My store doesn't charge for using their plastic bags or give a discount for using the reusable ones.

Either way, the baggers don't know how to bag either properly in my area. Grrrrr.

Oh and you should have seen the dirty look I got yesterday from the cashier at Target when I had her use my reusable bags instead of the stores plastic ones. She was NOT happy at all. I don't think many people bring their own bags into Target around here.
Too bad so sad for her - I brought in my bags and by golly, they were getting used.

I wonder if Disney's bags are biodegradable? Probably not since they are plastic. Wonder how they could change that up. Hmmmmm.

 

[texasroni75]

We live outside Austin TX which already has the plastic bag ban. Our suburb though does not have the ban.

I like the idea in theory, but we re-use our plastic grocery bags at home for other things - so I'd end up buying an extra box of plastic bags for those chores. Also, the re-usable ones have to be laundered regularly (many people neglect to do this and are carrying their groceries home in germ filled bags ewww!), so instead of landfill waste your shopping bags are putting more detergent-laden waste-water into the environment.

I'd rather they just go back to brown-paper bagging groceries. They can be recycled or used as book covers for the kids' school books, and even as home-made wrapping paper