Should Indiana bag disposable grocery bags?

[Pat Coyle]

From Wall St. Journal -
Question: Let's not argue over the question of paper vs. plastic...instead let's consider whether or not we should ban disposable bags altogether in favor of reusable bags. Who's for it? Who's against it? Why? Share your thoughts here

When plastic grocery bags were introduced some 30 years ago, they were touted as light, long-lasting and cheap. They caught on so well that hundreds of billions are dispensed each year, creating a modern menace that often winds up nestled in trees, stuck in sewers and drifting in oceans.

Faced with the growing blight, countries from Ireland to China and cities from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., have moved to ban or tax their use. On Monday, a United Nations official called for outlawing them world-wide. Said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Program: "There is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere."

But nothing is simple in the push to protect the planet. There is growing evidence that the production, use and disposal of plastic bags put less burden on natural resources than paper bags. Meanwhile, a knock against plastic bags -- that they can't be conveniently recycled -- is becoming less persuasive as more cities start accepting plastic bags in curbside recycling programs.

That makes the cash-register question -- paper or plastic? -- more vexing than ever.

Increasingly, cities and states seeking greener grocery stores are proposing taxes on all disposable bags. Seattle and Washington, D.C., are considering imposing fees on both paper and plastic bags. Other places, disinclined to saddle their voters with another prohibition or tax, recently have upgraded their curbside recycling programs to accommodate plastic bags.

Question: Let's not argue over the question of paper vs. plastic...instead let's consider whether or not we should ban disposable bags altogether in favor of reusable bags. Who's for it? Who's against it? Why? Share your thoughts here

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[Joe Shoemaker]

Really? I would have never guessed that you'd think that!

;)

[Marcia Clutter]

I live outside of the city, and I buy most of my groceries in Lebanon. Unfortunately, many stores don't even offer the choice of paper, which I would definitely prefer. Rather than banning plastic altogether, it would be a great start to require stores to offer choices to their customers!

[Joe Shoemaker]

The government already mandates all sorts of things. That's part of its job as the representative of We the People...

[Joe Shoemaker]

Your bitter cynicism is duly noted.

[Joe Shoemaker]

How about taking your own reusable bags? Do you need some? That eliminates the need entirely.

[Charlene Burke]

Rather than mandating, I wonder if it would work if you made requests to the store that they provide options. And/or write a letter to the editor of the local paper, asking that others in the community request that the stores provide options or change to paper completely. This way, if the store complies, it is because it is responding to customers - which it should want to do anyway. Just a thought.