Paper or Plastic

Today's news is from Colorado, where the state legislature turned down a proposal to ban plastic bags.  This would have been the first state wide ban on plastic bags in the nation.

As I have written before, these kinds of either/or laws usually have unintended consequences.  In Seattle, there is a proposed fee for bags, adding what seemed, at the height of the economic boom, a minimal amount to a grocery bill, but if you don't bring your own bags and have to purchase ones from the store, could add to your overall grocery costs.  It's these kinds of bans that always make me wonder whether policy makers think only of how they live versus how many of their constituents live.  

For instance, many environmentally aware people try to limit their shopping trips.  Once at the store, they may buy for a whole week, half a month, or even a month.  Let's assume they buy once a week, requiring four bags.  And let's assume the policy maker goes to the store every  night on their way home from the office, plus, maybe once on the weekend.  They may use 6 bags.  But they also use fuel, wear and tear on their transportation vehicle, additional energy to produce those bags...you get the drift.  

I think we should really focus our efforts on education rather than the bag issue.  First, the production of bags provide jobs, most often union wage, health care provided jobs.  Why risk that?  Second, many health experts will tell us that limiting trips to the grocery usually leads to healthier purchases and hence, better eating habits.  How about instead of creating whole new bureaucracies that monitor and enforce bans or collect revenues from fees, we try some education on using cloth bags (which, of course, many are made with cotton, not exactly the most environmentally friendly material, or are made in China which think about the carbon footprint of getting those over to America) or recycling paper bags?  Public service announcements on shopping lists, limiting trips, and recycling.  Instead of charging a fee for bags how about following the examples of Whole Foods who gives a credit if you bring your own bag?

It's time for new thinking, not instinctually reaching for "no" or bans that create consequences down the road which we knew would happen.