CP uses canvas bags when he does his shopping so what is the big deal? Paper or plastic is such a tiny aspect of an enormous environmental problem that it is hardly worth our city getting involved, yet Alderman Shropshire thinks we should ban use of plastic bags at grocery stores. CP researched this topic many years ago for a gradute school project and concluded that it is so complex to determine which is worse that the only real solution is to use reusable bags. So, why don’t we put our heads together and find ways to encourage the use of recyclable bags such as canvas or mesh? This could be done in such as way as to save money, create partnerships and really have an impact. However, in the grand scheme of things, our lopsided food production and distribution system is so energy dependent and so wasteful (think about it--apples from Washington? Strawbs from California?) that the issue of paper or plastic pales in comparison.
Even if we ban plastic and use paper, it still takes trees to make paper, with huge inputs of water and energy and they have to be moved and stored and then what happens?
To make matters worse, we should really be looking at what happens to the paper, plastic, glass and aluminum we put out each week for recycling. Are these things really being recycled? CP has been told by a reliable source that except for aluminum, there is a huge glut of paper, plastic and glass and that most of what we think is being recycled is actually being baled and sent to landfills in Virginia, along with everything else!!!
What about assisting homeowners with composting? What about encouraging use of canvas bags? The paper or plastic issue is not even on the radar screen. Another real issue is how will our city pay its debts in the future…paper or plastic???
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2 Comments:
I can't begin to tell you how angry I'll be if I have been regularly keeping unsightly piles of paper and bags of cans in my house for several years now only to have them throw them away!
CP cannot at this time confirm whether this is in fact what happens to our recycled materials. Similar stories have reported about this is other areas. CP is trying to learn more, but has always wondered how it is that we are not asked to separate the paper from the bottles etc. Who does this? Where? How can it be economically feasible? Where is the contract? The performance report? How do we really know?
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