Plastic Bags or, to some, The Spawn of Satan

Bags don’t litter; people do Banning Bags Unlikely to Promote Sustainability (DQ1) Just switch to paper Costlier Plastic = convenient, disposable set precedent Tiny % of all waste Huge env. problem ¤ Bags don’t litter; people do

Why so Damaging? Rely on non-renewable resources Not efficient for recycling Get stuck in recycling machinery Litter sewer drains water supplies oceans Harmful to fauna Long time to decompose Biodegradable need ideal conditions Single use goes to landfill (12 min. of use) ¤ http://www.surfrider.eu/en/the-ban-of-plastic-bags-in-france-postponed-for-three-months/

Issues w/ Banning Bags (DQ2) People expect bags Convenience Labeled as ‘tax’ burden, esp. on poor < to produce, transport than paper Local v. state gov’t policies Pro-plastic advocates ACC promotes plastics Offer biodegradable Set up recycling Lawsuits ¤ http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site234/2011/0128/20110128__webtoon130bags.jpg

How to Address Bags Issue? Make single-use bags socially unacceptable Offer incentives Focus on big cities Consumer education GS challenges ‘Small economy’ Cost Packaging Collection ¤ Manila Bay, Philippines

Plastics in Farming (DQ3) Need crops Heavily reliant on plastics

Plastics in Farming (DQ3) Need crops Heavily reliant on plastics Diff. in collecting, recycling Variety of plastics Fear contaminants and pathogens Lack after-market Lack means to collect Env. trade-off Save water, grow organics, ‘perfect’ produce ¤

Recap Similar to bottle issues Underlying single use issue Consumer ed. key Targeting plastic bags = ‘low hanging fruit’ Won’t significantly diminish quality of life; easy to do Excess indirect costs (externalities) Indicative of consumer culture, commodity fetishism ¤