The article I read today is regarding the plastic bag ban in
Texas, specifically in Brownsville in the article. Since this ban went into effect,
it has saved almost 350,000 bags per day. In my opinion this proposition is
outrageous. I used to work at HEB when I was in high school, when you had a
choice of paper, or plastic bags. But now you are required to pay a dollar for
your groceries to be bagged, or bring your own bags to the store. Edmundo
Arizpe said in the article “you some be exempt from the band if you buy more
than $50 worth of groceries” and I couldn’t agree more. You shouldn’t have to
buy your own bags or pay to have your groceries bagged. Every other state
besides Texas still has plastic bags for their customers and I don’t understand
why our state has to pass such a crazy law to try and save a little bit of
money. I don’t think that one dollar to buy plastic bags is going to help save
that much money. All the grocery stores in the world have been using plastic
bags for decades now so why change it up? It only makes it harder on customers
to go out of their way to buy HEB green bags. In conclusion, grocery stores
should keep the option open for their customers on which bags they want to
choose. Shouldn’t be a dictatorship deciding on what bags are allowed to be
used.
http://www.texastribune.org/2011/05/09/for-texas-city-plastic-bag-ban-brings-controversy/
While the insight you offered in Plastic Bags was accurate and informative, I think you fail to see one of the main reasons why the plastic bag "ban" was put into place. Those plastic bags don't break up in landfills and when not properly disposed of, the bags become liter and are bad for the environment. The ban was set up to discourage people from using them so they would stop being littered so frequently. Although it sucks to have to pay for them, this ban is a proactive step towards making the world cleaner. Austin is also a very environmentally conscious city so the ban will probably gain popularity over time.
ReplyDeleteDavis explores legislation regarding the plastic bag ban using the article “For Texas City, Plastic Bag Ban Brings Controversy” as his reference published on the Texas Tribune May 9, 2011. The Texas Tribune article discusses the proposition for Brownsville, which Austin recently adopted on March 1, 2013. Brownsville was the first Texas city to implement the bag ban in Texas, and Davis alongside many other Texans, believe that the legislation is “outrageous”. I disagree with Davis’s opposition to the bag ban and I feel that his article “Plastic Bags” focuses on the wrong issue regarding the law against plastic bags. Davis argues that it is an unreasonable dictation that is largely revolved around money. He also states that Texas is the only state to implement these laws which is false: California, Oregon, and North Carolina have cities that adopted similar legislation. The bag ban is not an issue of cushioning our economy, but preserving our city, and by proxy our planet. I find that there is no real argument against the bag ban with most people complaining that it is merely inconvenient, in which I will agree. I am outrageously forgetful and as a repercussion I am constantly forgetting my bags when I go grocery shopping. Yet instead of griping about the lack of a plastic bag, I push the shopping cart to my car and unload the groceries. If I am in a hurry, once I arrive home I will get a laundry basket to carry them in, but that’s it that is the end of my inconvenience, and to me it seems like a rather small price to pay in order to help reduce pollution.
ReplyDeleteIf there is any major frustration I find regarding the plastic bag ban it is that with it, many shoppers have decided to push the carts to their cars AND LEAVE THEM THERE! We shouldn’t allow these hooligans to run amuck in our civilized society, what if it hits my nice new Hummer and destroys the paint? I mean, I realize it’s a huge inconvenience to walk a maximum of 5ft to put it in the return lane, and after an exhausting trip of unloading my groceries in the car it seems unreasonable…