These state- and local-level regulations have brought about a 25 percent to 47 percent plunge in the proportion of bags in total coastal littler cleanups, in comparison to places that lack such rules, according to the study, published Thursday in Science.
The study also shows a noticeable if difficult to measure reduction in number of entangled animals which is great.
When I was young, the grocers tossed the cardboard boxes from deliveries up by the registers for people to use. These days, I have to ask a worker for one as they’re restocking. This practice should return. It would reduce more waste than replacing single use bags with another plastic based bag alternative.
Acknowledging this community,
The final quote from the senior author of the study is a bit telling.
“We’re still getting more plastic bags on shorelines as a percentage of all the cleanup items over time,” Oremus said. “It’s not eliminating the problem, it’s just making it grow more slowly.”
Sad trombone noise.
The problem is that practice isn’t seen as posh and a lot of supermarkets present themselves as cool, hip places to shop. They also sell boxes and packing material, something they would sell less of if they gave boxes away at the front of the store.
The only brick and mortar store I have seen that did that was a locally owned grocery on the “other side of the tracks” in the town I grew up in.
This is still a thing in the Netherlands. I use a reuseable bag but if i need to carry extra, there are boxes right next to the cash register.
I’m glad to hear this. Yet another reason to relocate.
Here stores charge a dollar per bag (which goes to a fund for removing plastic in the environment) - that has really made an impact. Now it’s almost weird to see someone buy a plastic bag, instead of using reusable shopping bag.
