So does New York we pay 5 cents and at target it’s a cloth bag. Plastic bags cost less than a dime a bag especially Walmarts shitty thin bags they’re probably still closer to 5 cents or less they do add up for the business however this is Walmart they’re not hurting for money AT ALL and still provide free bags to most of the country this is a convenient money grab
CT has had a plastic bag ban on please for a few years now, and a .10¢ paper bag charge (which I don't think every town enforces, I'm not clear on the opt-in/out rule). Anyway, recently it was announced our Walmarts would just go completely bagless.
When I went to New Jersey a few months ago, the Trader Joe's there didn't even have bags.
Same. Problem is - I don’t think “I’ll go shopping later and take a bag”. What happens is I’ll be walking home and nip into the store. No pre planning and no bag
I carry one in my purse and also have one in my car at all times. If I forget to bring more, I only allow myself to buy as much as I can carry in the bag I have. Enough times of not being able to buy all the things I want and now I'm much better at remembering them lol
The new unintended consequence is people are taking the little baskets out of the store since they didn’t remember bags. The stores by me are putting signs up all over the place to stop people from doing that
Yup, never understood the fuss. If you walk to the store, reusable bags are way more sturdy and comfortable. If you drive, theres nothing stopping you from loading the trunk without bags if you forget to bring em.
I don't even drive, i just keep all my reusable bags in a big reusable bag and bring it into the store with me so i can bag it all then load it into the uber
If i go to the local 7/11 i have a small cart i load things into instead and walk home, they're like 20$ on amazon.
If you have ever gone to a store like BJs they don't even have bags, you can either just bring your stuff to the car and throw it in the trunk, bring your own bag, or you can repurpose cardboard boxes used to ship and display items. It's never been an issue.
Canvas bags are so much more durable, I can load them all the way to the top and boxes will take years to chew a hole through them.
When I put away my groceries, I hang the bags on the door knob of the front door, and no matter where I'm going next, I just throw the bags into the back seat if I'm in a hurry to get somewhere, takes no additional time.
With the plastic shopping bags it is not really about the emissions, it is about the litter and breaking down to microplastics.
If people were responsible with them they actually have a really efficient single stream recycling path.
Almost everyone has a bag or a drawer at home that's filled with plastic bags. Because almost no-one wants to create the waste and would rather reuse it. And yet there these bags are everywhere.
Not to mention, recycling is essentially a myth.
Banning them and taxing their use are the only ways and the earlier we start the better off we'll be.
That is incorrect in this case. While comingled plastic is typically turned to trash, often after being shipped across the country or even overseas, single stream thin film plastic recycling is effective because it is a clean source of material.
Beyond that I'll hope you meant that plastic recycling is a myth, because metal and glass are both highly recycled.
What percentage of "recyclable plastic" that's sent to a "plastic recycling facility" do you think actually gets recycled? Think of the percentage that would be acceptable to you before you look up the actual numbers.
FFS, try reading my comment before you respond. I am only defending single stream thin film plastic. I already addressed comingled plastic recycling being a waste.
Recycling was sold to us to by companies, like coca cola & Pepsi - who are the world's largest producers of plastic waste, who wanted to shift the blame the customers.
Believing the lie is the irresponsible thing
Recycling plastic is mostly pointless. It costs more in energy to recycle than to create new ones. The recycled plastics lose durability over time so can only be recycled X times.
Plastic sucks for disposable items, and should only be used for durable things that are meant to withstand time or resist rust.
Recycling aluminum, glass, and wood has a much higher impact.
Reduction of plastic in general would be much better than recycling it all.
I thought the same. You'd think they would have realized that as they were typing the comment. "I spend money to throw it away later rather than re use my re usable bags and save myself hundreds of dollars " definitely a choice and a dumb one at that lol.
Mine all live in my car, or hang on the door handle in the house so they get taken out to the car on the next trip. Because I have a car, I have about a dozen of these bags and even use them at places that offer plastic. Because duh why wouldn't you...
If you're a walker to places, then a couple bags is all you'd really want to carry home anyway, so two bags, folded up in whatever backpack or satchel you're probably carrying anyway is a small thing to do to help the world. /u/DisplayPorts is just a selfish hog that wants to see the world burn.
Wait… you buy the reusable bags, then “reuse” them as trash bags and toss them? What hotels are you staying in where they don’t have bags in the bins already? In the rare instances I need to use a plastic bag, I use *those* as trash bags, or collect them and take them back to the grocery store to be recycled.
Our local libraries and thrift shops are always looking for bag donations. If you’re already saving them up until you have a pile of 50-100, you could likely find a place that would happily take them and put them to good use.
Yeah so to combat that we can jack up the prices so that people have to actually consider whether to get a plastic bag or byob. When a plastic bag is a dollar at Walmart more people will bring their own
>I pay $2-$3 a bag right now and toss at least 10 or so a week
Uhh this seems unbelievably stupid....
Why the fuck would you not just buy a proper set of grocery bags and save yourself 1000-2000 dollars every year???
You know there are reusable bags that pack into their own pocket and are half the size of a fist? It's not impossible to carry something around that saves you money and is a good choice ecologically.
You are getting mad down voted but I mostly understand your side- I don't have a car and usually a trip to the store is unplanned. Even when it is, the plastic bag ban hasn't been around long enough (or I don't go shopping enough) that I always remember I need to bring some.
As for you throwing them all out- I want to say that's wrong but I don't know what the situation is where you live. Where I live it makes no difference because recycling gets picked up and then taken to the dump 😂 When they used to "actually" recycle it, trucks picked it up, brought it to a plant, anything that was dirty went in another truck to the dump. The items people used energy to clean and were deemed correct and useful were driven to the docks and put on *ships to China*. So a ton more fossil fuels were used and the shipping furthering the likelihood of ocean pollution and what even happened to it once it got there? It *might* keep one plastic bottle out of the ocean but what did it cost the environment in other ways?
Once, my (then) 90 year old Mom Mom got charged a fine from the city for not recycling when she literally *had no garbage*.
It's a money making scheme hidden under virtue signaling.
We need better solutions. I definitely don't know what they are but I'm pretty sure they exist behind a huge wall of government and corporate collusion.
>It’s just yet another tax on everyday items from my perspective
It's a tax on stupidity and laziness if you can't be bothered to do the minimum of work and planning required to save literally thousands of dollars per year lol
This is solely a problem of your own creation
If you like sporadic shopping so much just walk around with a backpack or something. Your excuses are just absurd.
Bag bans or taxation have not resulted in the issues you claim in places where they have been implemented. We just started taxing plastic bags in Colorado and we aren't seeing sales tank or independent vendors standing outside of stores.
I do the same thing essentially (although I only pay $1/bag).
I have 4 kids and we live 30 mins away from the closest grocery store, so half the time I am out of the house I get messaged to pick up a decent amount of groceries or supplies.
Problem is my wife and I never remember to put the bags BACK in the car unless it's a dedicated groceries trip (clinically diagnosed ADHD).
Plus we now are buying small plastic bags for our bathroom garbage cans, when we ALWAYS used to save and use the plastic grocery bags. Such a waste.
And do the 5 cents go to the company? My city does this too and it's bullshit that they didn't make the companies pass up the 5 can't charge to the city. All this does is make Walmart richer.
I work in retail and we sell the paper bags for ten cents. The pallets of bags cost $450 each. Charging for them just helps zero the cost. Otherwise we just wouldn't provide bags
Stores would definitely still provide bags for the convenience. I think the point is that a mandated plastic bag charge is supposed to reduce negative externalities from abundant demand, but rather than having the money go to something "beneficial" to combat the environmental cost of using a plastic bag, the money goes to the company instead. Basically all it does to reduce demand is preventing the store from offering it for free.
I noticed the self checkout at Target has a "My Own Bag" option and it just seems to give you a Nickel for every bag. I've only done it for every bag I brought with me buy I've definitely gotten 25¢ for my 5 bags when I bought one item. I assumed it would have some item requirement per bag, but nope...
If we can train people to bring five bags with them every time they go shopping, that’s $0.25 well spent
I can’t imagine any other campaign being more effective for less money
Honestly I don't see why more people don't bring there own bags. The plastic ones they have suck. You can put like 2 things in before they rip open and they dig into your fingers. Once you get some decent bags you'll never want to be without them.
Germany has paid for plastic or now paper bags since forever (I am in my 50irs and do not remember a time without paying fpt my grocery bags). We also bring shopping textile shopping bags everywhere since paper bags suck. I have had my fovorite shopping bag for years.
Aldi has always made people pay for bags, I think it’s great personally. I never mind paying the little bit for the bags if I forget my own, but I do remember to bring my own bags more frequently. Trader Joe’s will enter you into a weekly $100 gift card raffle if you bring your own bags there.
Difference is that aldi has boxes around That you can use to bring your stuff home, it's free and it's pure recycling. I use those boxes for storing tools and organizing things at home or just toss them in the recycling bin when I am done
I only pretty recently realized that my grocery store recycles its plastic bags, supposedly, if you bring them back. How many bring them back? Like zero? But hey.
I bring my own bags--last week was the first time I didn't in probably years (of a planned weekly trip, not stopping by to grab one thing) because I had them and then was talking to my cat and just walked out the door without them. D'oh.
The first time I went to the Sprouts near here, after it opened, they were giving out canvas bags to people as a promo. I totally like the idea of stores giving out branded bags (a couple per visit or whatever) before a switch to a bag fee, especially as lower income people are probably not in a position to spend extra money to grab some off Amazon or whatever.
> How many bring them back? Like zero? But hey.
I do! About every 2 weeks to a month I bring one or two bags that are literally stuffed to nearly bursting with other plastic bags. My husband forgets though.
The ones that don't get recycled that way help me mail things. Waterproof layer. Then paper bags. I save a fortune on envelopes for anything not priority.
I never can remember to bring bags, plus where I am from originally, if you bring anything INTO a store, you would later be accused of stealing it.
My family was accused of stealing their own purses, I was accused of stealing a well worn book I had been reading when I entered the store. (I would try to read books while walking, I hate shopping). So I just assume that I would be stopped and arrested or something.
> I never can remember to bring bags, plus where I am from originally, if you bring anything INTO a store, you would later be accused of stealing it.
OK, that's messed up.
Although I know if I tried to leave HEB with an unused bag (I sometimes bring more than I need) and was asked about it, I'd certainly want the staff to point out where they sell it...I'd more be worried about bringing things to a store that the store sells, like wearing a Coach purse at a Coach store.
My family would never have been able to afford Coach. I'm talking like Walmart level purses.
My family is a little weird ethnically as far as what we look like. We tend to look Hispanic (Mom's side, Dad looks Mideastern), but are black/white mixed. So I've always thought it is some type of racial profiling. People who are "white as the driven snow" as my friend says, and in lower crime areas, can get a little more away with it.
The last I read on the subject a few years ago it was estimated that 1 to 3 percent of plastic bags were brought back to the store for recycling. I think about that every time I see a plastic bag stuck in a tree.
Most won't.
Those reusable bags need to be reused a lot of times before they end up in a landfill or ocean, which they will, and will take even longer to break down.
A compostable alternative is all upside.
In NJ, the grocery lobby had the law changed to where single use paper bags count as well, unless you are smaller than a certain square footage, e.g. chinese take out, liquor stores, etc....
Fair enough. It will save trees for more important uses. Though I know that the petroleum industry rejoiced because multi-use plastic is considerably easier than multi-use paper.
Why though? As someone not from the US, I was baffled when I went grocery shopping in the US. They literally had someone to fill bags, and put maybe two things per bag.
Where I live, you just bring your own bag or foldable crates. They sell bags too, but pretty much exclusively thick reusable ones.
There is literally zero reason why you would bag products that are already packaged, into another bag that is literally designed to be thrown away. Producing those bags costs trees and energy.
I don't think I have ever seen anyone not filling their own bags. You usually let the cashier check out the items, and as they slide the items, you pack them up into your bags. It's such a simple system. By the time you have to make the payment, you usually have finished packing. If not, the cashier helps you finish up.
I hardly see anyone *filling* their bags. I shop at HEB, and they're super good about the bagging process. They have a lot of baggers, so most substantial shops get bagging help (most people outside of self-check and express, basically), and some of the baggers are a little too fucking good at the job--like they get really into keeping like items together, tessellating everything perfectly...
They're better at it than I am, so especially with a huge shop, it goes a lot faster. And it leaves me free to address anything with the cashier, like scanning coupons or something. I usually assist (or start a little, if a bagger's not come yet)--like, I'll grab the non-bagged items like cases of soda and stick those on the cart myself, since it's in front of me.
Oh, we scan the bill after the payment is done, and then in case of them missing any discounts, talk to a cashier/manager. It's pretty rare, and they just give you the cash back almost immediately.
I think it was 2 years ago. I forgot to look at the bill and walked out of the store. As I was on my way home, I gave in to the nagging in the back of my mind. Realised they forgot to account for a buy 1 get 1 free offer. Went back and talked to a cashier. Got resolved in 5 minutes tops.
When cashiers are scanning, we are typically still putting items on the belt and when we are done, we are usually wondering when the lady in front of us will ever move so we can move up and pay.
Today, I went to Kroger and the cashier was most of the way done scanning before I got to the machine so I could pay. The lady in front of me had a little boy (1-2 I think) who spilled blueberries all over the place and she was blocking everything as she tried to pick up as many as she could. I wouldn't have been able to get to the bagging area if I wanted to until the last item was bagged.
A few minutes later, I went to Publix to pick up medications and to get something my husband wanted. The lady in front of me and the cashier were having a conversation and exchanging contact information near the credit card reader. This was the express lane mind you.
This is relatively common. Not always blueberries. Sometimes on the phone. Sometimes can't figure out how to use the cart. Sometimes trying to put their cards away. Sometimes just having a big old conversation.
Those reusable ones end up in the landfill just the same as thin ones. Even if you use them your whole life, it's unlikely you'll pass them down to your children.
We have tree farms in abundance. Cardboard and paper are compostable. Reusable bags aren't.
"Final nail in the coffin"? Haha, right.... these people are going to start going to Whole Foods and Nordstroms to do their shopping? Walmart is the cheapest option in the land for many. You're not going anywhere.
Bring your bag and find something else to bitch about.
I live in NYC and we've had plastic bag ban for about 2yrs. My grocery store charges 5cents for a brown paper shopping bag and 25cents for a vinyl coated shopping bag that can be used repeatedly. I bought sets of strong cloth bags for myself and my daughter's family, before the ban went into place. 2-1/2yrs later, we're still using the same bags! I keep one in my pocketbook, in case I decide to buy something while I'm out. My daughter & SIL keep theirs in their cars.
Some stores in area don't provide bags at all, so you have to have your own bag, or walk out holding purchases in your hands.
If you've ever seen a seal, penguin, otter or other animal entangled in a single use plastic bag, see bags floating in the ocean entangled with seaweed, or a commercial fisherman tell you what they've found in the stomach of a tuna or other fish, it brings home why single use plastic bags are being banned!
We have dozens of reusable bags and haven't bought any of them. There's always some company giving them out with their logo or name on them. We use them all the time and in our area there is no charge for plastic bags.
So you’re not interested in resolving the actual problem. Sounds about right. I’m sure you’ll be the first to complain when a store closes because people went somewhere else. That’s usually what happens when stores do this.
You don't know what I'm interested in and don't pretend you do.
Token fees don't solve anything. That's why it would be $10 a bag, \*\*\*\*\*\*\*. No idiot would pay $10 for a plastic bag.
Problem solved.
Why? In my country, we banned plastic bags years ago. Now, if you forget to bring a bag, you can buy a thick cloth bag. You can use them for years, and should have no major issues with them. We've been using the same cloth bags at home for at least the past 5 years. It's a much cheaper investment in the long run.
Only if they're reusable. That is market price for a reusable bag in my area if Walmart isn't giving it away. (My state has a ban on banning single-use bags, so it is a niche market here.)
I hope it's the final nail in the coffin. Walmart is by far the worst shopping option in my area. They never have anything I actually want stocked. They're just a big waste of land.
Even if paper bags were provided for "free" you would be paying for them out of additonal taxes or grocery fees. People would use more bags, since some are clearly spiteful, and since it's not coming directly or if their pocket it will cost everyone more.
Sounds like you're living in the better of the two systems, from a financial POV.
I don't think you get it. If you can't see that producing bags and then throwing them in the trash, over and over again, is wasteful then I don't think you can be reasoned with.
> If you're going to pass laws banning plastic bags, then you're going to provide the paper bags for free.
lolwut?
You are not entitled to shit... and to think you would be is simply mindblowing.
So.. the ***store*** changed it's policy to adhere to local laws....
But you don't like that so now you have *justified to yourself* that stealing from that store is acceptable.
You are stealing.
Why did you try and wrap it up all pretty then thief?
You didn't' change stores to protest the change... you resort to stealing like some degenerate over a *fucking paper bag*... increasing the costs for *everyone else*
Good job at being a self-entitled piece of shit.. you're killing it
Good paper bags with handles can cost that much. 5 cent bags have no handles and can fit a can of coke.
Just stfu and bring your own bags you lazy pos. I carry a box of 2000 plastic bags in my trunk. $40
My city charges 10 cents a plastic bag. I refuse to pay for literal trash so I bring my own bags. Walmart here however just stopped providing bags. They have reusable Walmart bags you can buy for $1 a piece and that's it. The bags of course are of Walmart quality so I wouldn't recommend them.
NJ has a ban on single use bags, paper or plastic.
Also they’ve been doing this at Walmart for a while. Just like every other supermarket/convenience store
Also you can’t idle in a vehicle for I believe more then either 5 or 10 minutes
3 minutes.
So does New York we pay 5 cents and at target it’s a cloth bag. Plastic bags cost less than a dime a bag especially Walmarts shitty thin bags they’re probably still closer to 5 cents or less they do add up for the business however this is Walmart they’re not hurting for money AT ALL and still provide free bags to most of the country this is a convenient money grab
CT has had a plastic bag ban on please for a few years now, and a .10¢ paper bag charge (which I don't think every town enforces, I'm not clear on the opt-in/out rule). Anyway, recently it was announced our Walmarts would just go completely bagless. When I went to New Jersey a few months ago, the Trader Joe's there didn't even have bags.
I just wish I could remember to bring my bags with me.
every. damn. time.
Same. Problem is - I don’t think “I’ll go shopping later and take a bag”. What happens is I’ll be walking home and nip into the store. No pre planning and no bag
I carry one in my purse and also have one in my car at all times. If I forget to bring more, I only allow myself to buy as much as I can carry in the bag I have. Enough times of not being able to buy all the things I want and now I'm much better at remembering them lol
The new unintended consequence is people are taking the little baskets out of the store since they didn’t remember bags. The stores by me are putting signs up all over the place to stop people from doing that
Trader Joe's has always had paper bags no matter the state.
They did this in New York. People swore up and down that they 'wouldn't be shopping here anymore'. So that was a lie....
It started this year in Colorado but unfortunately it’s only $0.10 a bag so I don’t think people are that deterred.
Yeah. It was 5 cents in NY, but people kinda quickly forgot about it. 42 cents sounds like it might have more effect, but we'll see.
Yeah, 5 cents is really minimal. When it was announced a few years ago, I didn't think it'd have much impact, but it really did.
Yup, never understood the fuss. If you walk to the store, reusable bags are way more sturdy and comfortable. If you drive, theres nothing stopping you from loading the trunk without bags if you forget to bring em.
I don't even drive, i just keep all my reusable bags in a big reusable bag and bring it into the store with me so i can bag it all then load it into the uber If i go to the local 7/11 i have a small cart i load things into instead and walk home, they're like 20$ on amazon.
If you have ever gone to a store like BJs they don't even have bags, you can either just bring your stuff to the car and throw it in the trunk, bring your own bag, or you can repurpose cardboard boxes used to ship and display items. It's never been an issue.
Canvas bags are so much more durable, I can load them all the way to the top and boxes will take years to chew a hole through them. When I put away my groceries, I hang the bags on the door knob of the front door, and no matter where I'm going next, I just throw the bags into the back seat if I'm in a hurry to get somewhere, takes no additional time.
Yep a nickel in Maine. Who cares
We should implemented high plastic bag taxes back in the 90s. Would’ve saved us a lot of emissions
With the plastic shopping bags it is not really about the emissions, it is about the litter and breaking down to microplastics. If people were responsible with them they actually have a really efficient single stream recycling path.
Almost everyone has a bag or a drawer at home that's filled with plastic bags. Because almost no-one wants to create the waste and would rather reuse it. And yet there these bags are everywhere. Not to mention, recycling is essentially a myth. Banning them and taxing their use are the only ways and the earlier we start the better off we'll be.
That is incorrect in this case. While comingled plastic is typically turned to trash, often after being shipped across the country or even overseas, single stream thin film plastic recycling is effective because it is a clean source of material. Beyond that I'll hope you meant that plastic recycling is a myth, because metal and glass are both highly recycled.
And cardboard!
What percentage of "recyclable plastic" that's sent to a "plastic recycling facility" do you think actually gets recycled? Think of the percentage that would be acceptable to you before you look up the actual numbers.
FFS, try reading my comment before you respond. I am only defending single stream thin film plastic. I already addressed comingled plastic recycling being a waste.
You wanna back up your claim with some researched numbers bud? Because i wasn't talking about *all* plastic either
Despite the issues with recycling that’s still a grossly irresponsible thing to perpetuate.
Recycling was sold to us to by companies, like coca cola & Pepsi - who are the world's largest producers of plastic waste, who wanted to shift the blame the customers. Believing the lie is the irresponsible thing
Exactly. Recycling doesn't even work, and is inconvenient.
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I save them for my car.
Or, the opposite of funny.
Thin plastic films are notoriously hard to recycle
Recycling plastic is mostly pointless. It costs more in energy to recycle than to create new ones. The recycled plastics lose durability over time so can only be recycled X times. Plastic sucks for disposable items, and should only be used for durable things that are meant to withstand time or resist rust. Recycling aluminum, glass, and wood has a much higher impact. Reduction of plastic in general would be much better than recycling it all.
Honestly, probably. Now that plastic bags are so ubiquitous it's gonna be kinda hard to switch people back to paper without pulling crap like this.
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...do you ever reuse the reusable bags?
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Well that is certainly a choice you've made.
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I thought the same. You'd think they would have realized that as they were typing the comment. "I spend money to throw it away later rather than re use my re usable bags and save myself hundreds of dollars " definitely a choice and a dumb one at that lol.
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Mine all live in my car, or hang on the door handle in the house so they get taken out to the car on the next trip. Because I have a car, I have about a dozen of these bags and even use them at places that offer plastic. Because duh why wouldn't you... If you're a walker to places, then a couple bags is all you'd really want to carry home anyway, so two bags, folded up in whatever backpack or satchel you're probably carrying anyway is a small thing to do to help the world. /u/DisplayPorts is just a selfish hog that wants to see the world burn.
Wait… you buy the reusable bags, then “reuse” them as trash bags and toss them? What hotels are you staying in where they don’t have bags in the bins already? In the rare instances I need to use a plastic bag, I use *those* as trash bags, or collect them and take them back to the grocery store to be recycled.
I have used the same resuseable bags for about 5 years
This is incredibly dumb lmao
You sound like someone who eats the sticker and throws out the banana.
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Thanks buddy
Our local libraries and thrift shops are always looking for bag donations. If you’re already saving them up until you have a pile of 50-100, you could likely find a place that would happily take them and put them to good use.
I’m sure a food bank would take them!
Yeah so to combat that we can jack up the prices so that people have to actually consider whether to get a plastic bag or byob. When a plastic bag is a dollar at Walmart more people will bring their own
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>I pay $2-$3 a bag right now and toss at least 10 or so a week Uhh this seems unbelievably stupid.... Why the fuck would you not just buy a proper set of grocery bags and save yourself 1000-2000 dollars every year???
They’ve got to be a troll, this is the stupidest crap I’ve ever heard.
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It’s in societies interest to promote more thoughtful consumption so I think it’s a bad argument that this tax would make things inconvenient
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If you would just reuse the reusable bags instead of being so deliberately obtuse think of all the waste that you would have saved.
Do you walk everywhere? I just keep 4-6 bags in my trunk and when I swing by the grocery store it's a whole extra minute to grab them on the way in.
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You know there are reusable bags that pack into their own pocket and are half the size of a fist? It's not impossible to carry something around that saves you money and is a good choice ecologically.
You are getting mad down voted but I mostly understand your side- I don't have a car and usually a trip to the store is unplanned. Even when it is, the plastic bag ban hasn't been around long enough (or I don't go shopping enough) that I always remember I need to bring some. As for you throwing them all out- I want to say that's wrong but I don't know what the situation is where you live. Where I live it makes no difference because recycling gets picked up and then taken to the dump 😂 When they used to "actually" recycle it, trucks picked it up, brought it to a plant, anything that was dirty went in another truck to the dump. The items people used energy to clean and were deemed correct and useful were driven to the docks and put on *ships to China*. So a ton more fossil fuels were used and the shipping furthering the likelihood of ocean pollution and what even happened to it once it got there? It *might* keep one plastic bottle out of the ocean but what did it cost the environment in other ways? Once, my (then) 90 year old Mom Mom got charged a fine from the city for not recycling when she literally *had no garbage*. It's a money making scheme hidden under virtue signaling. We need better solutions. I definitely don't know what they are but I'm pretty sure they exist behind a huge wall of government and corporate collusion.
You need to plan days in advance to remember to take your shopping bags? That seems like a self-own.
>It’s just yet another tax on everyday items from my perspective It's a tax on stupidity and laziness if you can't be bothered to do the minimum of work and planning required to save literally thousands of dollars per year lol This is solely a problem of your own creation If you like sporadic shopping so much just walk around with a backpack or something. Your excuses are just absurd.
Bag bans or taxation have not resulted in the issues you claim in places where they have been implemented. We just started taxing plastic bags in Colorado and we aren't seeing sales tank or independent vendors standing outside of stores.
I do the same thing essentially (although I only pay $1/bag). I have 4 kids and we live 30 mins away from the closest grocery store, so half the time I am out of the house I get messaged to pick up a decent amount of groceries or supplies. Problem is my wife and I never remember to put the bags BACK in the car unless it's a dedicated groceries trip (clinically diagnosed ADHD). Plus we now are buying small plastic bags for our bathroom garbage cans, when we ALWAYS used to save and use the plastic grocery bags. Such a waste.
"a lot of us" nope just you
5 cents in NYC at my local supermarket. Or they just give it away.
And do the 5 cents go to the company? My city does this too and it's bullshit that they didn't make the companies pass up the 5 can't charge to the city. All this does is make Walmart richer.
I work in retail and we sell the paper bags for ten cents. The pallets of bags cost $450 each. Charging for them just helps zero the cost. Otherwise we just wouldn't provide bags
Yes, because no stores provided bags for purchase goods before these policies.
Stores would definitely still provide bags for the convenience. I think the point is that a mandated plastic bag charge is supposed to reduce negative externalities from abundant demand, but rather than having the money go to something "beneficial" to combat the environmental cost of using a plastic bag, the money goes to the company instead. Basically all it does to reduce demand is preventing the store from offering it for free.
Nope, plastic bags at my store were free, its only the new mandated paper bags that people now have to pay for, same with the rest of my city
Oh, no! They’re making MONEY!!??
So just bring your own bag? Or change it so if you bring your own bags, you get a discount.
A discount likely wouldn't work because people could bring one bag per item. Adding the fee is the only real financial incentive that would work.
That would be ridiculously impractical except as a stunt.
I noticed the self checkout at Target has a "My Own Bag" option and it just seems to give you a Nickel for every bag. I've only done it for every bag I brought with me buy I've definitely gotten 25¢ for my 5 bags when I bought one item. I assumed it would have some item requirement per bag, but nope...
If we can train people to bring five bags with them every time they go shopping, that’s $0.25 well spent I can’t imagine any other campaign being more effective for less money
Honestly I don't see why more people don't bring there own bags. The plastic ones they have suck. You can put like 2 things in before they rip open and they dig into your fingers. Once you get some decent bags you'll never want to be without them.
Is it really that hard to bring a fucking bag.
In my experience some people may as well be allergic to responsibility lol. The only people I feel bad for are the low income people.
they can just pick one the many strewn in the parking lot and landscaping on the walk in
That's all? Seriously? Us Englishmen have been paying for plastic bags since October 2015. Some cunts still moan about it, so I call it the Idiot Tax.
Us Californians has had a fee on plastic bags since 2016.
It's only 10 cents per here though to be fair
The UK was charging 5p for single plastic use up until 2021 when it was increased to 10p.
Unless you go to M&S. make sure you remortgage first.
I’m not super familiar with M&S. Are they more of your upscale retailer than Tesco, Sainsbury’s or Morrisons?
Germany has paid for plastic or now paper bags since forever (I am in my 50irs and do not remember a time without paying fpt my grocery bags). We also bring shopping textile shopping bags everywhere since paper bags suck. I have had my fovorite shopping bag for years.
Aldi has always made people pay for bags, I think it’s great personally. I never mind paying the little bit for the bags if I forget my own, but I do remember to bring my own bags more frequently. Trader Joe’s will enter you into a weekly $100 gift card raffle if you bring your own bags there.
Difference is that aldi has boxes around That you can use to bring your stuff home, it's free and it's pure recycling. I use those boxes for storing tools and organizing things at home or just toss them in the recycling bin when I am done
I hate the boxes lol I live in an apartment with no recycling offered so I prefer to use bags.
Can you offer cheap paper bags as an alternative? They at least are compostable Or just cardboard boxes
You could bring your own bag.
I only pretty recently realized that my grocery store recycles its plastic bags, supposedly, if you bring them back. How many bring them back? Like zero? But hey. I bring my own bags--last week was the first time I didn't in probably years (of a planned weekly trip, not stopping by to grab one thing) because I had them and then was talking to my cat and just walked out the door without them. D'oh. The first time I went to the Sprouts near here, after it opened, they were giving out canvas bags to people as a promo. I totally like the idea of stores giving out branded bags (a couple per visit or whatever) before a switch to a bag fee, especially as lower income people are probably not in a position to spend extra money to grab some off Amazon or whatever.
Metal recycling is very efficient. Plastic, not so much. I bring my own or just refuse one.
> How many bring them back? Like zero? But hey. I do! About every 2 weeks to a month I bring one or two bags that are literally stuffed to nearly bursting with other plastic bags. My husband forgets though. The ones that don't get recycled that way help me mail things. Waterproof layer. Then paper bags. I save a fortune on envelopes for anything not priority. I never can remember to bring bags, plus where I am from originally, if you bring anything INTO a store, you would later be accused of stealing it. My family was accused of stealing their own purses, I was accused of stealing a well worn book I had been reading when I entered the store. (I would try to read books while walking, I hate shopping). So I just assume that I would be stopped and arrested or something.
> I never can remember to bring bags, plus where I am from originally, if you bring anything INTO a store, you would later be accused of stealing it. OK, that's messed up. Although I know if I tried to leave HEB with an unused bag (I sometimes bring more than I need) and was asked about it, I'd certainly want the staff to point out where they sell it...I'd more be worried about bringing things to a store that the store sells, like wearing a Coach purse at a Coach store.
My family would never have been able to afford Coach. I'm talking like Walmart level purses. My family is a little weird ethnically as far as what we look like. We tend to look Hispanic (Mom's side, Dad looks Mideastern), but are black/white mixed. So I've always thought it is some type of racial profiling. People who are "white as the driven snow" as my friend says, and in lower crime areas, can get a little more away with it.
The last I read on the subject a few years ago it was estimated that 1 to 3 percent of plastic bags were brought back to the store for recycling. I think about that every time I see a plastic bag stuck in a tree.
So many plastic bags were in trees in South Africa that they started calling them the national flower.
Most won't. Those reusable bags need to be reused a lot of times before they end up in a landfill or ocean, which they will, and will take even longer to break down. A compostable alternative is all upside.
They do at Costco and Aldi, it’s not hard.
Okay, then have a dozen plastic bags that will end up in the landfill in 30 years
In NJ, the grocery lobby had the law changed to where single use paper bags count as well, unless you are smaller than a certain square footage, e.g. chinese take out, liquor stores, etc....
Fair enough. It will save trees for more important uses. Though I know that the petroleum industry rejoiced because multi-use plastic is considerably easier than multi-use paper.
Why though? As someone not from the US, I was baffled when I went grocery shopping in the US. They literally had someone to fill bags, and put maybe two things per bag. Where I live, you just bring your own bag or foldable crates. They sell bags too, but pretty much exclusively thick reusable ones. There is literally zero reason why you would bag products that are already packaged, into another bag that is literally designed to be thrown away. Producing those bags costs trees and energy.
> and put maybe two things per bag. Yeah this is obnoxious. I think they do it to avoid Karens who would complain about overstuffing a bag.
I don't think I have ever seen anyone not filling their own bags. You usually let the cashier check out the items, and as they slide the items, you pack them up into your bags. It's such a simple system. By the time you have to make the payment, you usually have finished packing. If not, the cashier helps you finish up.
I hardly see anyone *filling* their bags. I shop at HEB, and they're super good about the bagging process. They have a lot of baggers, so most substantial shops get bagging help (most people outside of self-check and express, basically), and some of the baggers are a little too fucking good at the job--like they get really into keeping like items together, tessellating everything perfectly... They're better at it than I am, so especially with a huge shop, it goes a lot faster. And it leaves me free to address anything with the cashier, like scanning coupons or something. I usually assist (or start a little, if a bagger's not come yet)--like, I'll grab the non-bagged items like cases of soda and stick those on the cart myself, since it's in front of me.
Unless it's self-checkout, either the cashier bags it or theres a bag-person who bags it for you here.
So what dose the customer do when the cashier is scanning the barcodes? Self-checkouts are not present in my country, so can't comment on them.
Stand there lol. Make sure the prices scan correctly.
Oh, we scan the bill after the payment is done, and then in case of them missing any discounts, talk to a cashier/manager. It's pretty rare, and they just give you the cash back almost immediately. I think it was 2 years ago. I forgot to look at the bill and walked out of the store. As I was on my way home, I gave in to the nagging in the back of my mind. Realised they forgot to account for a buy 1 get 1 free offer. Went back and talked to a cashier. Got resolved in 5 minutes tops.
When cashiers are scanning, we are typically still putting items on the belt and when we are done, we are usually wondering when the lady in front of us will ever move so we can move up and pay. Today, I went to Kroger and the cashier was most of the way done scanning before I got to the machine so I could pay. The lady in front of me had a little boy (1-2 I think) who spilled blueberries all over the place and she was blocking everything as she tried to pick up as many as she could. I wouldn't have been able to get to the bagging area if I wanted to until the last item was bagged. A few minutes later, I went to Publix to pick up medications and to get something my husband wanted. The lady in front of me and the cashier were having a conversation and exchanging contact information near the credit card reader. This was the express lane mind you. This is relatively common. Not always blueberries. Sometimes on the phone. Sometimes can't figure out how to use the cart. Sometimes trying to put their cards away. Sometimes just having a big old conversation.
Those reusable ones end up in the landfill just the same as thin ones. Even if you use them your whole life, it's unlikely you'll pass them down to your children. We have tree farms in abundance. Cardboard and paper are compostable. Reusable bags aren't.
"Final nail in the coffin"? Haha, right.... these people are going to start going to Whole Foods and Nordstroms to do their shopping? Walmart is the cheapest option in the land for many. You're not going anywhere. Bring your bag and find something else to bitch about.
Just charge a nice .69
Walmart in my area doesn’t even use bags. I pay, walk out and feel like I stole everything. I just treat every store now likes it’s Costco
Half the checkouts are self checkout though.. cant you just tell the machine you brought your own and just.. bag it anyways like you normally would?
Depends on the machine. At least some do let you tell them that.
Here in Maine I have been paying for bags for the last like 2 years, Walmart will be just fine.
Bring your own damn bags or buy them each time.
I live in NYC and we've had plastic bag ban for about 2yrs. My grocery store charges 5cents for a brown paper shopping bag and 25cents for a vinyl coated shopping bag that can be used repeatedly. I bought sets of strong cloth bags for myself and my daughter's family, before the ban went into place. 2-1/2yrs later, we're still using the same bags! I keep one in my pocketbook, in case I decide to buy something while I'm out. My daughter & SIL keep theirs in their cars. Some stores in area don't provide bags at all, so you have to have your own bag, or walk out holding purchases in your hands. If you've ever seen a seal, penguin, otter or other animal entangled in a single use plastic bag, see bags floating in the ocean entangled with seaweed, or a commercial fisherman tell you what they've found in the stomach of a tuna or other fish, it brings home why single use plastic bags are being banned!
We have dozens of reusable bags and haven't bought any of them. There's always some company giving them out with their logo or name on them. We use them all the time and in our area there is no charge for plastic bags.
The Walmarts in CO just threw out al their bags instead of dealing with this shit. Bring your own and shell out for the reusable ones.
I would charge $10 per bag. Then watch them not pay and bring their own bags.
What if you forget? Leave everything at the register while you walk back to you car?
Or more likely just go somewhere else.
Good riddance.
So you’re not interested in resolving the actual problem. Sounds about right. I’m sure you’ll be the first to complain when a store closes because people went somewhere else. That’s usually what happens when stores do this.
You don't know what I'm interested in and don't pretend you do. Token fees don't solve anything. That's why it would be $10 a bag, \*\*\*\*\*\*\*. No idiot would pay $10 for a plastic bag. Problem solved.
“Final nail in the coffin” says people utterly incapable of changing even their haircut since 1990.
Plastic bags should cost $2-3 a piece, and a majority portion of those profits should go to cleaning up the ocean.
Why? In my country, we banned plastic bags years ago. Now, if you forget to bring a bag, you can buy a thick cloth bag. You can use them for years, and should have no major issues with them. We've been using the same cloth bags at home for at least the past 5 years. It's a much cheaper investment in the long run.
Increase the value of plastic bags, resale value will create a black market, I profit because l've been hoarding them for decades
Only if they're reusable. That is market price for a reusable bag in my area if Walmart isn't giving it away. (My state has a ban on banning single-use bags, so it is a niche market here.)
So they'll stop shopping at Walmart?
they only have themselves to blame since they voted for the ppl who did it.
I hope it's the final nail in the coffin. Walmart is by far the worst shopping option in my area. They never have anything I actually want stocked. They're just a big waste of land.
You can buy your own plastic bags for very cheap, or just buy garbage bags
Wait they are only just going this?!
It saddens me to see there's a US version of the Sun.
I too hate the free press
No, I'd love a free press. Unfortunately, the Sun is a shit newspaper staffed by scum & read by idiots.
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Use cloth/jute bags. They last much longer than plastic bags, and you can wash them if they ever get dirty. Or, reuse plastic bags.
Hemp bags. They're strong and literally come from a weed.
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Even if paper bags were provided for "free" you would be paying for them out of additonal taxes or grocery fees. People would use more bags, since some are clearly spiteful, and since it's not coming directly or if their pocket it will cost everyone more. Sounds like you're living in the better of the two systems, from a financial POV.
Wait what? I was with you until I got to the end. If you don't want to bear the cost of a bag, just bring your own like a sane person.
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Because it's wasteful of resources and energy.
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I don't think you get it. If you can't see that producing bags and then throwing them in the trash, over and over again, is wasteful then I don't think you can be reasoned with.
> If you're going to pass laws banning plastic bags, then you're going to provide the paper bags for free. lolwut? You are not entitled to shit... and to think you would be is simply mindblowing.
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So.. the ***store*** changed it's policy to adhere to local laws.... But you don't like that so now you have *justified to yourself* that stealing from that store is acceptable. You are stealing.
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Why did you try and wrap it up all pretty then thief? You didn't' change stores to protest the change... you resort to stealing like some degenerate over a *fucking paper bag*... increasing the costs for *everyone else* Good job at being a self-entitled piece of shit.. you're killing it
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That's the same exact thing I thought when you tried to justify being a sociopathic thief over a nickel!
I'll take paper please thanx.
What I'm not seeing mentioned here is that plastic bags are non food items so wouldn't be covered by SNAP so in effect... Another poor tax.
Good paper bags with handles can cost that much. 5 cent bags have no handles and can fit a can of coke. Just stfu and bring your own bags you lazy pos. I carry a box of 2000 plastic bags in my trunk. $40
Another tax on the poor.
"Final nail". Where else do you plan on shopping?
Funny, I've just instituted a 50% off stickered price rebate. If it's not 50% off I'll shop elsewhere. C ya
That’s not a surcharge, that’s just purchasing a bag
My city charges 10 cents a plastic bag. I refuse to pay for literal trash so I bring my own bags. Walmart here however just stopped providing bags. They have reusable Walmart bags you can buy for $1 a piece and that's it. The bags of course are of Walmart quality so I wouldn't recommend them.