Price Rollback WTF
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It's always appeared to me that people don't grasp the scale of the issue. They see "lots' of bags and assume it's terribly wasteful. As I understand it, they're mostly made from byproducts. And the amount of material is pretty damn small.
Not to mention that aside from formal recycling programs, a lot of people reuse the bags for all sorts of things, so now they have to buy other bags to replace them.
In my area, we haven't gone mental about the bags. I have no idea what the rate of recycling is, but I have spent a fair amount of time standing in front of the local grocery store selling stuff for Scouting and I don't recall seeing anyone dropping off bags into the recycling container. We also don't have much of a littering problem at all, let alone bags. Maybe those more progressive places just attract a worse sort of person.
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Because it makes the big-ass supermarkets look like they give a shit, so people shop there, and they make buttloads of cash.
My store gives you a discount if you bring in reusable bags. But fuck that. It's a PITA, and now I have a bunch of bags always in my trunk. Not to mention the stuff you hear about people not cleaning them and cultivating bacteria.
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Because it makes the big-ass supermarkets look like they give a shit, so people shop there, and they make buttloads of cash.
But if it's the law of the land, all supermarkets have to charge for (or not provide) the bags-- so where's the competitive advantage? There is none, and your statement is stupid.
Also from my experience of what happened in Seattle, supermarkets were the numero uno opposition of the legislation. Shockingly, supermarkets don't want to make the experience of shopping there more of a pain in the ass. I don't know about other cities.
In my area, we haven't gone mental about the bags. I have no idea what the rate of recycling is, but I have spent a fair amount of time standing in front of the local grocery store selling stuff for Scouting and I don't recall seeing anyone dropping off bags into the recycling container. We also don't have much of a littering problem at all, let alone bags. Maybe those more progressive places just attract a worse sort of person.
Considering like half the country still doesn't even have household recycling pickup, maybe we here in the civilized parts of Washington, Oregon and California can relax on the banning of plastic bags while the entire south east is just tossing them directly into landfills. We're already decades ahead of the rest of the country on this issue-- we don't need to make people's lives a pain in the ass with pointless bans.
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household recycling pickup... tossing them directly into landfills
They still have it, it's just recycling on the delayed plan. Those old landfills are going to be valuable real estate some day.
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But if it's the law of the land, all supermarkets have to charge for (or not provide) the bags-- so where's the competitive advantage?
It's not the law of the land here. Yet. And never underestimate human stupidity ;)
@blakeyrat said:Also from my experience of what happened in Seattle, supermarkets were the numero uno opposition of the legislation.
I'm willing to bet in San Francisco, the supermarkets supported the ban, if only to make sure the hippies didn't start shopping elsewhere. Then again, they were probably going to the hippie markets already anyway, so I guess the point is
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You get the point. It's like conserving gas to reduce CO2... what's the point of me doing it if 1.2 billion people in China don't give a flying fuck about it?
What's the point of banning the bags in Seattle if the entire state of Mississippi doesn't have a single recycling bin anywhere in it? Just bugs me.
Ditto things like minimum wage hikes and marijuana legalization, and gay marriage-- here in WA we're already way ahead of the game on those issues. No reason to make people's lives annoying just to get slightly more ahead when we're already ahead of everybody, including California, on the issue.
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I'm willing to bet in San Francisco, the supermarkets supported the ban, if only to make sure the hippies didn't start shopping elsewhere. Then again, they were probably going to the hippie markets already anyway, so I guess the point is
I'm willing to bet you're full of shit and have no idea what you're talking about. That post is even dumber and more ignorant than the last.
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I'm full of many things; at the moment, that list includes two peppered steak pies and a bottle of Dr Pepper
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That's acceptable. Carry on
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Having said that, plastic bags nowadays biodegrade. It takes a year or two, but they disappear eventually.
Which is itself highly irritating—I used to have a drawer full of plastic bags which I would just keep indefinitely until they came in useful, for keeping trash in, or holding old socks when you're on vacation. Now you have to be sure to use any plastic bags before they turn into this horrible mess of flaky plastic crap which is an absolute nightmare to clean up...
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what's the point of me doing it if 1.2 billion people in China don't give a flying fuck about it?
Tragedy of the Commons.
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Because it makes the big-ass supermarkets look like they give a shit, so people shop there, and they make buttloads of cash.And politicians like it because they can win votes by saying 'environment good plastic BAD', knowing the average voter is too stupid to think for themselves.
Not only that, but they can tax you a nickel a bag and get more money to spend.
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only a nickel? it's a quarter round these parts!
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only a nickel? it's a quarter round these parts!
For a quarter I'd want something a bit better than shitty thin plastic that breaks when the bag's only 3/4 full…
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I can never remember hows much a nickel is. More or less than a dime? Why don't you just say the s cent value in the first place?
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I may be a Limey, but even I know a nickel is 5c, a dime is 10c, and a quarter is 25c!
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I hope that knowledge brings you great happiness
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Well, it doesn't bring me sadness ;)
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plastic bags nowadays biodegrade. It takes a year or two, but they disappear eventually.
Where I'm from, it happens in the way from the store to your house, if not sooner. Damn things are so flimsy. Though that's caused by cost cutting more than environmental concerns.
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For a quarter I'd want something a bit better than shitty thin plastic that breaks when the bag's only 3/4 full…
WTF y'all are taxed on bags? Are you sure you're not just going to Aldi or something?
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only a nickel? it's a quarter round these parts!
Really? That's a ripoff. But a nickel is, too.
One of the local 7-11s has a sign up saying that they're not participating in the tax scheme, so they don't have bags available, except reusable ones, and urges you to let the city council know your feelings. I read it as "please call up the council and let them know how stupid this is."
Calling 'em single-use is a bit pejorative--at a minimum, most people I know with dogs use the bags at least one more time.
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The minimum price in Seattle is a nickel, IIRC. Stores can charge more if they want.
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WTF y'all are taxed on bags? Are you sure you're not just going to Aldi or something?
I'd like to know either what shitty-quality bags you are using, or else why you're over-filing 'em. I never have a problem with them breaking unless they're over-filled, and that's even the modern style that's supposedly biodegradable anyway so the whole "filling up the planet with trash bags" is supposed to be not really true.
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The minimum price in Seattle is a nickel, IIRC. Stores can charge more if they want.
That's a nice little scam there. How many do, I wonder.
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Also, I guess I have to post a little bit more, because I'm tired of bouncing between 10% and 25% poster on a roughly-daily basis.
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most people I know with dogs use the bags at least one more tim
if they're p;icking up after their dog like they are supposed to they are!
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I never have a problem with them breaking unless they're over-filled
The only time I have a problem is if they incorrectly bag 2-liter bottles by laying them down. The cap end always breaks the bag. Stand them up and the bag is fine.
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The only time I have a problem is if they incorrectly bag 2-liter bottles by laying them down. The cap end always breaks the bag. Stand them up and the bag is fine.
It's worth being careful if you've got glass bottles in there too. Losing even one bottle of wine to such a failure is a terrible thing.
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True, but I always take a repurposed laundry basket or two in my trunk and put the bags in there. It keeps stuff from sliding around the trunk (or the back of the van) and makes it easier to bring stuff in.
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It's worth being careful if you've got glass bottles in there too. Losing even one bottle of wine to such a failure is a terrible thing.
True, I had to spend like an hour licking wine up off the sidewalk. Got a lot of cuts on my tongue.
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repurposed laundry basket
We use some old fruit tray/box things; their low sides make getting the occasional larger item in easier.
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if they're p;icking up after their dog like they are supposed to they are!
Yes, that was implied.
At my apartment complex they're bad about policing it, unfortunately, partly because we have new management that hasn't gotten on people's case. The previous management would put notes in the monthly newsletter every couple of months, and they were threatening to fine people who were caught not picking up.
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The only time I have a problem is if they incorrectly bag 2-liter bottles by laying them down. The cap end always breaks the bag.
I actually meant to address that. A box with sharpish or hardish corners can cause a tear, too, but usually the bag is also filled more than it should be, forcing a corner to press hard against the bag.
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It's worth being careful if you've got glass bottles in there too.
If I've got glass I try to individually bag each glass item before putting them in another bag (or just use one bag per glass item.)
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True, but I always take a repurposed laundry basket or two in my trunk and put the bags in there. It keeps stuff from sliding around the trunk (or the back of the van) and makes it easier to bring stuff in.
Yeah, or if your car has hooks in the trunk, like mine does, you can do that.
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I don't understand your comment. What did it have to do with that quote?
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Discofail. I was trying to include @RaceProUK's quote about shitty bags.
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Oh, I was just spouting hyperbole in a not-very-fruitful attempt at humour
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Oh, I was just spouting hyperbole in a not-very-fruitful attempt at humour
Something in there is probably a barrier to post count.
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I may be a Limey, but even I know a nickel is 5c, a dime is 10c, and a quarter is 25c!
Why is there no 20¢ coin?
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Something in there is probably a barrier to post count.
Really? Hmm… that could be a problem in my attempts to hold onto the Spoon™…
@tar said:Why is there no 20¢ coin?
I have absolutely no idea
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I have absolutely no idea
You guys have one, right, like a "20 peas" coin, or however your crazy leguminous currency works, right?
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You guys have one, right, like a "20 peas" coin, or however your crazy leguminous currency works, right?
1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 coins, then £5, £10, £20, £50 notes. Though the Scots also get a £1 note that's rarely seen. Euros follow a similar pattern, though I think they also have €100 notes too.
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Euros follow a similar pattern, though I think they also have €100 notes too.
Yeah, I didn't see any £50 notes in France recently. I suspect they've gone metric already...
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The French wouldn't touch our money anyway