Chicago looks to limit use of plastic bags

Omg! Finally we are becoming greener. I think about this every time I go to Target and try to save them for the next shopping trip. They don't bag very well, give a bunch of bags with only two items in them. It's a big waste.

ModelVixen wrote:

Omg! Finally we are becoming greener. I think about this every time I go to Target and try to save them for the next shopping trip. They don't bag very well, give a bunch of bags with only two items in them. It's a big waste.

I totally agree,they do that in all stores even though I keep telling them to put more things in one bag.

Come on, folks. Get with the program.

Start using reusable cotton bags instead of paper or plastic.

It's easy to get used to it.

Do your part.

I use reusable bags for most of my grocery shopping, but I do reuse the plastic ones for my trash.

Why not require they be switched to biodegradable ones made from corn products?

It's a nice idea and will reduce trash, but won't do a thing for oil consumption. The US uses 20 million barrels of oil a day, with 40% of that used for transportation--all the plastic bags made in a whole year use 12 million, per the article. The tiniest increase in fuel efficiency in the car and truck fleet would save much more oil than a plastic bag law.

reusable grocery bags wrote:

Come on, folks. Get with the program.
Start using reusable cotton bags instead of paper or plastic.
It's easy to get used to it.
Do your part.

I have some cotton bags (from the Consevation Society and Public Radio) but I've never used them for shopping (or even seen it done).

Do you put things into your bag as you shop? Do the people who work at the store understand - or do do they think your shoplifting?

Do I need to warn the store manager that I'm bringing my own bag into their store?

They have been doing to years in the EU.. I lived in Holland for a few years and IF you wanted a plastic bag for you things, you paid for it.. and it was high quality and reusable. As of Jan 31, here in Shanghai China, they are trying the same thing. The larger stores now require you to buy the bags.. and they are a bit better quality.. however the 10 million other small shops still are not mandated to do so.. so "white" pollution as it is called here in China still goes on..

I like the idea but I use plastic bays when I dispose of my wet garbage. Can't use paper for that. And there's no place to put it in a compost pile. What would I use in place of them .

I use almost all of the plastic bags I get from the grocery fullfilling my obligation to pick up after my dog. I would hate to have to start buying plastic bags just to put poop in.

Just saying....

I'm all for eliminating the use of plastic bags, but this is, frankly, a stupid, feel-good proposal that won't accomplish anything.

Thanks to Mayor Daley's disastrous environmental policies over the last couple decades, recycling simply isn't a habit for people in Chicago.

Offering plastic bag recycling bins at supermarkets will accomplish little or nothing, because it does not create any incentive for people to recycle the bags or to reduce their consumption of them in the first place. And besides, after years of the failed Blue Bag program, most people will just assume that the "recycled" bags are just getting carted to the landfill anyway.

I'm all for reducing the use of plastic bags. But doing that requires making plastic bags cost something to the consumer - for example by imposing a tax as Ireland has done. The bags have a cost (environmentally and financially), and if people have to pay that cost in order to use a bag, people will be a lot more judicious in using them.

And in any event, why are we worrying about plastic bags when we're still throwing plastic BOTTLES, metal cans, glass jars, and reams and reams of paper into landfills hand over fist?

The answer, of course, is that having a real recycling program would cost money, and our city government isn't interested in environmentalism unless it's free.

Effective environmentalism isn't free.

'The Recycling Myth' in Sweden:

http://www.mises.org/story/2855

If you could 'throw away' your mayor and his minions Chicago would be a cleaner city to pay less sales and property tax.

you would be amazed at how many countries are ahead of us on banning/charging for or taxing plastic grocery bags.(China, Ireland, Bangladesh, Uganda, South Africa etc) just do a google news search for plastic bags- It may seem pointless to some but the pros to something so simple are endless- plastic bags take hundreds of years to break down, injure animals, clog sewage drains and are just plain ugly blowing around- especially in the WINDY city! A place I found online to get great cotton canvas totes and biodegradable bags for your dog walks is www.sackswithattitude.com -a little more of an investment, but if stores are starting to charge me for their plastic bags, but give me a discount for bringing my own reusable tote (and often enter me in a contest for free groceries) It is worth it to me in the long run and I can feel like I am contributing in some small way to providing a cleaner environment for my kids!

The whole green movement is a myth to tax you more.
Those of you who buy into it are naive.

"When you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything".

Lady with a Question wrote:

<quoted text>
I have some cotton bags (from the Consevation Society and Public Radio) but I've never used them for shopping (or even seen it done).
Do you put things into your bag as you shop? Do the people who work at the store understand - or do do they think your shoplifting?
Do I need to warn the store manager that I'm bringing my own bag into their store?

You just hand your empty, folded-up cotton bags to the bagger when you're checking out, and then they'll fill up your bags instead of using new plastic ones. It's just as simple as that.:-)

This is a great idea, and it's worked well in a number of other countries (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/22054... ). It's such a small thing that can make a quantifiable difference.

Oh, I'm sure it will make a "quantifiable difference" ... if you mean more tax revenue for Daley's machine to play with.

What's really a kick is that ding dong Daley's goons were the ones actually encouraging people to use plastic bags for years. What do you think the frigging blue bags were made of? Once again it (and I do mean Daley) speaks out of both ends.

the funny thing about this, is if you are in the experimental blue garbage can program...you are specifically told not to recycle plastic bags even if they are clearly labelled as recyclable (i.e., the platic bag your daily newspaper comes in).

Maybe Daley and his do nothing alderman could focus a little more attention on improving the city's current recycling program, including figuring out how to recycle plastic bags as marked and picking up the overflowing bins more than once every 2 weeks. After a week on our block, it's pointless because all the blue bins are usually full--indicating people are recycling but the city is making it usual half-***ed attempt to do something.

Let's see City Hall makes a serious effort with the recycling program they already have in place before they pass more stupid rules and taxes.

Even though they still eventually end up in a landfill, reuse still helps. I have two dogs and have several people save all of their plastic bags for dog poop for me. People can drop them off at dog parks too as a way of at least getting another use out of them.