Piece of my mind on Jessica Flippen's "Please don't make me buy ANOTHER reusable bag because I forgot mine"

Hello Jessica,

All things being equal, we should not have Government dictate our personal lives and most of the choices we make. Unfortunately, we elect or vote an authority to do (in part) exactly that. We are humans with unlimited wants and needs and very limited resources. While ironic, it is true. If it were not for Government intervention and laws, we would not have regulations that have made us the most productive, healthy, strong citizens that are the envy of so many other nations. I was one of them and I am grateful for this system.

This brings me to your blog on Plastic bag ban in Austin. The benefits of removing plastic bags from stores are far more advantageous to the lingering concern to our environment in the future, which is devastating. According to healthguidance.org, approximately 300 million plastic bags end up in the Atlantic Ocean, which threatens the integrity of the ocean in sustaining pollution free environment for marine life. Fish and birds mistake plastic bags for food, which if consumed can block their airways leading to unwanted death. On a larger scale (and it is already a concern, hence the law in many countries including the U.S.), this would certainly be a devastation for all animals and aquatic organisms that come in contact with the bloody thing, which would affect us directly (unless we all convert to vegetarianism!).

 

The other issues with plastic bag (and most other plastic for that matter) are the longevity of its existence. These bad boys hang around long after you and me and our great great great great great grandchildren are long gone. A plastic landfill lasts a thousand years or more before it disintegrates, damaging the earth even at its smallest state. Not to mention the amount of fuel oil required to make the darn thing. I am certain we can both agree there has got to be a better place to spend it (heating, vehicle fuel, for instance).

Finally, I found your last point on your blog a little amusing, rather in a good way. Reusable bags do get dirty and disgusting, very true. But that is exactly why they are "reusable". They are so because we can clean them. Do you wear disposable clothes? Do you throw away your running shoes every two/three days and buy a new one because they have gotten sweaty and wet? Grocery bags are of the same category. We have to wash them and keep them clean, just like we do with our dishes and clothing (genius is whoever created dishwasher and washing machine). I sincerely hope this provokes your thoughts and reconsider your original argument. Plastic bags are a burden to our wellbeing. In the long run, they are far worse than our temporary contact with germs. Because the latter, we can wash away.