Paper or plastic?

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

On January 1, 2023 stores in Colorado will begin charging 10 cents each for plastic bags they provide that the customers use to take their purchases home. The only other options are to use a reusable bag (you already own or purchase upon your visit) or bring your own plastic bags from home. 
So two questions:

1) is this a common practice in other states?

2) have these new (for us) store rules had a positive impact on recycling or garbage reduction in your area?

Regards

    
Gateway Kid

[Cypress Sun]

1) No, probably won't as long as the Florida government consists of Republicans.

 

2) Not applicable, see 1. 

[PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L]

Oregon has been all over the board with bag legislation.
Paper bags = deforestation affecting wildlife habitat and "climate change" (still being used).

Plastic bags kill marine wildlife (banned in 2020...back in use).
All bags are BAD (except reusable cloth bags) ...example below.
Cardboard boxes are recyclable unless they've touched food (i.e., pizza boxes)
Currently all types of plastic and/or paper bags are available at most stores. Some charge 5-10 cents.

 

Locally, sanitation department distribute color-coded bins for various types of homeowner garbage.

Some minor observable impact regarding street/field trash (homeless encampments excepted).
 

         

 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Europe charges at the grocery stores. Other businesses mostly figure it as the cost of business, a few charge extra. The charge at the grocery is variable, typically three sizes of bags, three charges, e.g., one UAH was 12¢ and the fees would 5, 10, or 20 kopeti. 100 kopeti = 1 UAH. so the bags would be roughly 1, 2, or 3 cents US.  The bags were more durable though, I would often stuff a couple in my pocket and reuse them.

 

thinking more about it, in Europe the charge is fee for product, just like bread and milk.  In US, the charge is an attempt at behavior modification and problem solving, and I’d bet the state wants a cut out of that dime.

 

 

[Yul Lose]

Kalifornia has been charging a dime per bag for years unless you bring a bag, I usually forget to bring them. Pretty much everything in the store is in plastic wrap, container or produce in the little bags that are hard to open so why the big deal about the plastic bags that everything goes in to leave the store? Doesn’t make sense. I do like the paper bags though, they’re great for rubbing out lacquer finishes.

[watab kid]

our stores offer to sell reusable bags and cardboard totes , many are using that option , paper or plastic are at the counter and the staff push the plastic from my experience , i generally get multiple uses from my bags both paper and plastic , i burn cardboard and paper when no longer useable , 

 

ive never heard a statistic on local recycle results , but our roadways no longer have trash strewn - those that collect cans and bottles here dumpster dive , they dont road hunt , we do have a 5cent deposit on cans and bottles , we also have recycle pickup with our garbage pickup - separate containers/different trucks - weekly here , and we use it 

[Utah Bob #35998]

Used to end up with way too many plastic bags. I’ve used my own bags for years except during the Covid peak when they wouldn’t touch them and you had to fill them yourself. 

[Wallaby Jack, SASS #44062]

Here in New South Wales we have something of a ban on "single use" plastic bags ........

 

  ......... but they are willing to sell us "reusable" plastic carrier bags for 15 cents each.  

 

  and they all have the shops' name on them ........ I did hear reports of one supermarket that would NOT put groceries into your bag if it bore a competitors name.

      ...... but now no-one cares about that stuff any more ....  

[Dusty Devil Dale]

Being the rebellious type, when Ca passed the plastic bag law, I went on the Internet and bought a couple thousand plastic grocery bags for an incredibly cheap price.   I keep a bunch in all my vehicles and use them with pride. 

 

It was the grocery lobby that pushed hardest for the bag restrictions. Apparently the 10 cents a bag was a big deal to them.  But other retail stores were not included.   Hardware stores still hand out  free plastic bags (which somehow are judged miraculously not to hurt dolphins or other wildlife).

 

The truth is that the plastic grocery bags, if left out in the sun, disintegrate and flake apart in a couple months.  And realize that these laws all happened because one (1) dolphin was seen by Greenpeace with a bag stuck on its head. 

Typical woke hysteria.  

[Warden Callaway]

We'd be broke here (Missouri) if we paid for bags at Wally-World. They only put one thing in each bag.  Come out with 20 bags of stuff.   We also shop at ALDIs.  They will sell you a paper bag for $.15. Otherwise,  you're on your on.  Often you can find a box or two while shopping.  We have a couple of nice size boxes we keep in the back.  Just roll out the cart, fill the boxes, carry the boxes in when home.

[Trailrider #896]

The Colorado bag tax sends 60% of the 10 cent fee to the "gubmint" (state, county, local...I don't know), and the store get 40%.  Just another tax that those on fixed incomes have to pay.   The bill was passed by the legislature...in 2021! Never heard of it before I got a notice from my county that I'd have to collect it if I used bags for my merchandise.  Since I sell about 99.9% of my custom leather out-of-state, and wouldn't use any bags for anything I'd sell locally, I applied for and received a waiver. Oh, yes, retailers who collect the bag tax have to report it quarterly.  More paperwork or time on the confuser.  

No chance of a repeal with the "blue network" firmly in control of the legislature and the governorship!  

Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah or Happy Kwanza...as applicable, Pards!

[Pat Riot, SASS #13748]

California has a 10 cent charge per bag unless you bring your own. Then when CoVid hit stores wouldn’t allow employees to touch bags you brought to the store so they began giving free bags…Wow! What a concept. People acted like it was some new service brought about by the goodness of the store management’s hearts. Dip****s…
Anyway, at some point about a year ago everything went back to “normal”.

 

I do understand why they want to do away with the plastic bags. Ever go to a garbage dump? Those thin bags are everywhere. Caught in trees, fences, blowing around. They do become a mess. 
 

The government and stores want to pretend to do something about pollution, but the reality is they just want money. If they really wanted to do something about the plastic they would have a 8 or 10 cent return value for each bag and they would recycle them. Turn them into park benches, garbage cans, politicians desks, vegan clothing (hehehe)

 

 

 

[Rye Miles #13621]

My county Cuyahoga implemented a plastic bag ban. Luckily I’m at the very east end of the county and I go to Lake County where they don’t have a ban , at least for now!

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

This reminds me of a true story I've told here before, although it was several years ago and when I lived in Alabama.

 

Paper or Plastic?

 

While visiting my parents who lived in Half Moon Bay, California, which is just south of San Francisco, I was in a Safeway grocery store and the lady at the register said too quickly for me to understand, "Paper or Plastic?"  I said in my best slow southern accent, "I apologize Ma'am.  I didn't understand what you said.  Would you say that a little more slowly."  She said again, this time painfully slow, "Would you like a paper sack or a plastic sack?"  I looked at my dad and said, "Dad, I just can't pass this one up."  I turned to the lady and said, "Ma'am, it don't matter to me.  I'm bi-sackual."  

 

The stunned lady responded, "You're not from around here, are you?" --- "No ma'am.  I’m from Alabama."

[Pulp, SASS#28319]

At the paper mill I retired from we occasionally made bag paper.  I would not wish that experience on anyone!

[Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001]

the ode to the Wal Mart tumbleweed 

 

  CB 

[Cypress Sun]

5 hours ago, Dusty Devil Dale said:

Being the rebellious type, when Ca passed the plastic bag law, I went on the Internet and bought a couple thousand plastic grocery bags for an incredibly cheap price.   I keep a bunch in all my vehicles and use them with pride. 

 

It was the grocery lobby that pushed hardest for the bag restrictions. Apparently the 10 cents a bag was a big deal to them.  But other retail stores were not included.   Hardware stores still hand out  free plastic bags (which somehow are judged miraculously not to hurt dolphins or other wildlife).

 

The truth is that the plastic grocery bags, if left out in the sun, disintegrate and flake apart in a couple months.  And realize that these laws all happened because one (1) dolphin was seen by Greenpeace with a bag stuck on its head. 

Typical woke hysteria.  

 

Greenpeace overlooked the obvious fact that the dolphin was huffing spray paint in an attempt to be one of the "cool" dolphins. Seems he gave into pod pressure.

[Cypress Sun]

 

I'm glad they don't charge for them in Florida. We use them in the small trash cans in the bathrooms and computer room. They get tossed in the outgoing trash, but they are full of other trash and tied up. 

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

I live in a semi-rural county where plastic bags are free.  When I shop in ABQ I use fabric bags I carry in my vehicle.  Many are bags given to me at major matches.  Since I check myself out and bag my own purchases, woke cashiers haven't hassled me about the logos on the bags.

[PowderRiverCowboy]

No enjoy its a Blue state deal LOL 

 

[Singin' Sue 71615]

On 12/22/2022 at 7:50 PM, Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life said:

On January 1, 2023 stores in Colorado will begin charging 10 cents each for plastic bags they provide that the customers use to take their purchases home. The only other options are to use a reusable bag (you already own or purchase upon your visit) or bring your own plastic bags from home. 
So two questions:

1) is this a common practice in other states?

2) have these new (for us) store rules had a positive impact on recycling or garbage reduction in your area?

Regards

    
Gateway Kid

They tried in NM...but it did not last long.

Of course, we know who is in office here again, so expect it to be rehashed!

So...we will gather all our Ruger bags, ammo bags...any gun related bag...and THOSE will be our bags of choice!

[Singin' Sue 71615]

2 hours ago, Pulp, SASS#28319 said:

At the paper mill I retired from we occasionally made bag paper.  I would not wish that experience on anyone!

Pulp mills, I was told, have a pungent odor....

[Alpo]

Paper mills are weather forecasters. Many years ago I was a security guard at a motel out on the beach, and some tourists stopped me and wanted to know what that got awful stench was.

 

I told him it meant it was going to rain. And about 2 hours later there was a downpour. He come looking for me. Wanted to know how I knew.

 

Our mill has closed. I miss that smell.

[Cholla]

I prefer paper bags because I like ruffed grouse hunting. The best ruffed grouse hunting is in 0-20 year old poplar(big-tooth aspen) forests with 20,000 stems per acre as found in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Canada. This young forests are caused by clear cutting for the paper industry, so if I'm asked if I want paper or plastic, I want paper to support grouse hunting.

 

Indiana had good ruffed grouse hunting in the 1980s but as anti-logging groups put pressure on the state to stop state forest logging, as the forests aged, the ruffed grouse population nose-dived. A few years ago they closed the ruffed grouse season to try and prevent total eradication. They also have made plans to do clearings to encourage the proper habitat.

[Pat Riot, SASS #13748]

2 hours ago, Singin' Sue 71615 said:

They tried in NM...but it did not last long.

Of course, we know who is in office here again, so expect it to be rehashed!

So...we will gather all our Ruger bags, ammo bags...any gun related bag...and THOSE will be our bags of choice!

THIS is what I did in California. I had Rifle Supply, Ruger, Glock, Federal, Turner’s Outdoorsman and Piggly Wiggly bags. I got some funny looks with the firearms related bags, but the Piggly Wiggly bags got me questions like “What’s a Piggly Wiggly?”. I would just smile. 

One female type human commented that my gun bags were offensive. I told her she was offensive and her breath stank. I know it hurt to do so, but she actually shut her trap. 

Edit: I also had some kids comment that I shouldn’t use gun bags. I asked them if they knew about freedom of speech. They said yes and got these funny looks in their faces. I told them that the freedom of speech is for everyone not just those you agree with. Much to my surprise they agreed with me and one boy apologized.