Paper, Plastic or Do the Right Thing?

Back in March of this year, the City of Austin passed a ban on retailers offering single use plastic bags when consumers purchased items in their stores.  This ban came after a long period of back and forth between legislators fighting the ban and grass roots movements pushing for the ban.  It was highlighted in the news, it was broadcast on the back of shopping carts and billboards and it got a lot of hype.  As someone who has been using her own bags for years, I did not and still do not see what all the hype is about.  You stick some reusable bags in your car, bring them into the store, empty them at home and put them back in your car.  Easy peasy!  

Ugh.

It is estimated that the City of Austin alone used over 260 million plastic bags per year! Austin is known to be pretty granola and green-minded, so I thought all my fellow Austinites would join me in happily giving up the plastic bags.  I think I had a Mary Poppins moment thinking about us all carrying in our reusable bags to HEB while Disney woodland creatures frolicked at our feet and sang with merriment.  Boy was I wrong!!

City of Austin – you are a bunch of whiners!  I am so tired of listening to people lament the passing of plastic bags.  Retailers have worked around the ban by offering paper bags or thicker plastic bags in the hopes that they will be reused, but I think this is a cop out.  Bring your own or carry your items in your hands I say!  Yes, I know, you reused your bags to line your garbage cans or pick up dog poop.  Use a bread bag instead and just wash out your garbage can every now and then.  In fact, make it a punishment for your kids and you never have to do it yourself.  I know, it takes a while to get in the habit of remembering your bags.  I get that.  But really, did you have to grow and harvest the food you just purchased?  No, a struggling farmer or huge farm conglomerate did that.  Did you have to sew the shirt you picked up at Target?  No, some five year old in Bangladesh did that for you.  Stop whining, enjoy your privileged life and start hauling some bags with you!

I overheard a woman in CVS ranting about how her husband is “just livid about this bag thing.”  Really?  He is “enraged and furiously angry” about plastic bags?  Seems like a very passionate response to trying to green up a city if you ask me.  I don’t know, perhaps people enjoy asphyxiating marine life with their plastic bags more than I thought.  

A sea turtle's last thought: "Oh yum! Is that a jellyfish I see before me?"

And don’t get used to getting paper bags everywhere either.  Once they start deforesting America to keep up with the consumption, there will be a ban on those as well. 

I know, it is funny how passionate I am about this ban. I get involved with little, I confront even less, I make an effort to keep peace at all times and I am genuinely lazy.  So I tell you, if I can bring my own bags to the store, you can too!  Stand with me Austin!  Join us America!  You can do this!  And the next time you are asked if you want to buy some plastic bags or use the paper ones, you can look that person in the eye and proudly say “Neither.  I brought my own.” I get a shiver down my spine just thinking about it!