Plastic bags

[LONDONER]

In a country that does not exactly belong to the First World, Morocco is prohibiting the manufacture and used of plastic bags. Just carrying one carries a fine of up to $10,000! Isn't it about time that the First World caught up?

So few people seem to realise the contamination they cause. It is calculated that in the Mediterranean alone there are 500,000 tons of plastic some of which is ingested by fish and then naturally, eaten by humans.

[Emiliano]

There really is no need to make or use plastic bags. I'd like to see similar restrictions in the USA.

[Aquarius]

So how are you going to carry damp or fatty things?
Where are you going to vomit into when you are sick and not at home?
How do you want to close a paper bag?

Maybe this is just me, but I'd rather throw away paper bags than plastic bags.
A paper bag is never going to fully replace a plastic bag.
Also, I've already injured myself on a paper bag (a cut), so maybe I'm biased on this matter.

[TwisttheLeaf]

I use neither paper OR plastic. That's what FABRIC is for. I keep them in the trunk of my car and use them religiously.

[LONDONER]

So how are you going to carry damp or fatty things?
Where are you going to vomit into when you are sick and not at home?
How do you want to close a paper bag?

Maybe this is just me, but I'd rather throw away paper bags than plastic bags.
A paper bag is never going to fully replace a plastic bag.
Also, I've already injured myself on a paper bag (a cut), so maybe I'm biased on this matter.

Believe it or not there once was a time when plastic bags didn't exist and yet peope still managed to carry their shopping home.

Sick bags on aircraft are made of paper. Also there is such a thing as grease proof paper.

[meridannight]

Where are you going to vomit into when you are sick and not at home?

stop drinking so much alcohol then!

when i was fresh out of high school and still drank alcohol i was at a night club with my friends. predictably, half-way through the party i got nauseated (alcohol always makes me nauseous). the bathrooms all had lines to them, and there was no way i could've withstood that long. so i promptly walked out of the club and threw up right next to their front entrance.

[LJay]

Aquarius, paper will work for those things. You may not remember the days when butcher's used paper to wrap freshly cut meat, but they did. Also, you can make barf bags out of heavy paper and they will work well.

My dad had a cousin who owned a bar and a guy walked in and asked for a martini togo. cousin poured it in a paper bag and they guy was happy.

[Aquarius]

Well, where I'm coming from is this:

I suffer from migraine. I had car rides where I had to vomit again and again, like every 15 minutes.
You can't tell whoever's driving to stop the car just whenever you have to get some relief. Also, you need to close it so that other people in the car don't get bothered by the smell, or that nothing gets spilled. Paper bags won't ever be able to accomplish that task.

I know there was a time without plastic bags, but there was a time without cars.
I'd much rather see a limitation of cars than a ban on plastic bags...

[Insertnamehere]

Fish can degrade plastic? First time I've heard of that lol

[meridannight]

There really is no need to make or use plastic bags.

i agree. but removing plastic bags unfortunately doesn't solve this problem (though it is a start, but only that, not more). we have plastic packaging on food and other items. i have books that came in a protective plastic wrap (not the bubble wrap). food (e.g. meat, pasta, salads, potatoes, muesli, several sweets -- i could go on for ages) comes in a plastic packaging of one sort or another. most beverages these days come in plastic bottles. it's rare to see a glass bottle anymore. i ordered a Sennheiser microphone recently, and some of the parts were in a plastic bag inside the cardboard box. there was absolutely no need for that. same with other tech equipment, it comes in a cardboard box, but some items are in a plastic bag inside. the plastic is rather ubiquitous.

we should only use glass bottles for beverages, there is absolutely no need to use a plastic bottle. Coca-Cola at least uses glass and metal cans for some of their products, but they should use it for their larger bottle sizes as well. in comparison -- there is this drink Chinotto, made by Lurisia, in Italy. and they only use glass bottles for their small and large sizes. same with Froosh, a Swedish company making fruit smoothies, they only use glass bottles.

on their website they say:

our glass bottles don’t just look fancy, they’re good for the environment too. unlike plastic bottles, glass bottles are almost infinitely recyclable. in fact, almost all glass bottles, no matter where they are thrown, end up back at the glass works, crushed down to make new glass containers. and because we use glass we can extend the shelf life of our products, preserving the quality without any use of preservatives or other additives. that’s why we love glass.

plastic bags is just a fraction of the whole plastic problem. the solution is to make biodegradable plastic (we have such plastic bags here in some places, but not all). and give up any other type of plastic unless it is absolutely necessary.

i'd also like to know what exactly are they doing with the recycled plastic (anybody know?), since plastic can't be re-sterilized and consequently it cannot be used in any application that can possibly affect health.