I was sitting at home last night after putting the little ones down when I heard a knock on our front door. I assumed, since it was after 8 p.m., that it was one of our neighbors. So I was pretty surprised to see a young woman with a clipboard standing before me instead.
"I'm here to talk about banning plastic bags," she said. Aha! I thought. Another aggrieved resident starting a pushback campaign! Ah, but no. She was campaigning in support of such bans, like the one in our town that just went into effect Jan. 1 (making such a campaign unnecessary, it would seem...).
Anyhow, before she could get going, I smiled and said "I'm sorry, I'm pro-plastic bag." Silence. I think she didn't know whether to laugh or launch into a discussion of why plastic bags are so bad. We both then started mumbling awkwardly. I think I said something about how we are good recyclers and all, but this was a step too far--but she was already stepping off the porch back into the night.
I was mulling all this over on Twitter (never a good idea), realizing that "single-use" plastic bags may actually be the single most reused thing in our house. In fact, my parents, who live in a state that's already banned them, gleefully stock up on ours when they visit so they can use the bags back at home to clean out their cat's litter box.
Still, my younger sister, among others, is not impressed with my viewpoint on this matter. So let me explain. I'm not actually "pro-plastic bag," or pro-plastics in general, in the sense that I'm rooting for them to pile up in the environment. Obviously! In fact, no one is. Can you think of a single ordinary person who wants to see the oceans destroyed by plastic waste? Of course not.
Here's my point: we don't need to be so hasty to ban things that people are already opposed to. Because our choices as consumers will move society away from using them (to wit: those trendy, foldable metal straws). It might take a little extra time, and rob lawmakers and proponents of attention-grabbing headlines. But anyone who says "plastic" in an affluent town when asked their bag choice at the grocery store checkout can verify that there is indeed plenty of social pressure already in place to eliminate plastic bags without banning them entirely.
It's unfair to burden people (and businesses) who need plastic bags but can't readily afford or access a substitute with a sudden loss of this resource when the change really should be driven, as always, by those with the means to substitute, and as good replacements become available. And there is a need for some single-use plastic bags out there! Just look at the list of exemptions from our new ban: "Plastic bags used for garbage, pet waste, prescriptions, dry cleaning, newspapers, as well as those used to contain loose meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, bulk items and bakery goods are exempt from this ban." You don't say!
(Plus, as I tweeted, what am I now supposed to bring to the pediatrician's office at our next visit to take away my kid's dirty diaper in? A Ziploc? Why aren't those banned, too, since they are also single-use plastics?)
We could ban all the single-use plastic items (bags, straws, forks, etc.) in the world and that only amounts to 3% of global plastics use, per Goldman Sachs. But that ban also has its own negative side effects: it increases transport emissions because now you're shipping items (cosmetics, food and beverage, e-commerce) in heavier glass and aluminum containers instead of lighter single-use plastic ones. Not to mention the hygiene problems it creates for the healthcare sector.
So am I all for reducing plastics use? Of course. But is "banning" (the quotes are merited given all the exceptions anyhow) single-use plastics the fairest or even the best way to help the environment? I'm just not sold on that right now.
I welcome your thoughts as always :-)
Kelly
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