How plastic bags were supposed to help the planet - BBC News

[sl8]

How plastic bags were supposed to help the planet - BBC News

BBC News

Published on Oct 20, 2019
The plastic carrier bag has become something of a symbol for the problems caused by plastic pollution.

But according to the family of the man who created it, Sten Gustaf Thulin, his design was supposed to help the planet and he'd be shocked and upset to see what it's become.

The Thulin family make no money from the sale of the bags.

BBC Environment Reporter Laura Foster explains what was supposed to happen and why paper and cotton bags can actually be worse for the environment than plastic ones that are recycled.

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[steventh]

1. Hmmm that was interesting and informative.

Thanks for posting it.

[Sherman A1]

2. Thanks for posting

[TreasonousBastard]

3. Used properly, plastic bags have the least impact on the planet-- problem is...

they are so rarely used properly.

[CTyankee]

4. Oh, really, it's so easy to just get reusable bags. I love them. I have them by the door so I

remember to take them when I go to the store. They're strong and hold a lot.

Please tell me what's wrong with reusable bags!

[tymorial]

5. It was stated in the video

Depending upon where the bag was made, the material or how it was transported to the final sales destination it is actually worse for the environment than a single plastic bag when you compare the two. Paper and cotton require more resources and energy usage to manufacture, transport etc. This can be mitigated however by reusing the paper and cotton bags repeatedly until they are damaged beyobd repair. At that point they should be recycled.

[CTyankee]

6. well, I would have to check the content on my reusable bags. However, they are very strong

and therefore far more durable than flimsy plastic (which you cannot get any more at the supermarket) or even the more durable heavy paper bags which are more available. BUT they cost an extra ten cents per bag and you end up with a ton of them to store away (I have limited space in my kitchen).

The reusables fold and are lightweight so I fold up several and put them into one larger bag. That makes one light bag for me to carry from the parking lot into the supermarket.

My experience has been that these bags don't easily get mutilated because of their inherent strength. I can get 8 of them into two larger bags so I never use the paper bags, which also cost 10 cents apiece, which don't do the poor any favors.

Given the fact that everything will eventually break down and need to be recycled, isn't it better to use these rather than flimsy plastic?

The only alternative, I guess, is what the French used to use (and might still) which is a kind net bag, very lightweight but probably more suited to getting your pain de jour, des fruites et le poisson. IIRC, they are called filets.

[Grokenstein]

7. My local self-appointed culture scold

...Debra Saunders, went to bat for plastic manufacturers when the Bay Area started a plastic bag ban.

https://www.ocregister.com/2011/12/05/debra-saunders-where-windbags-outlaw-plastic-bags/

The lonely job of opposing the measure falls to Stephen Joseph, who represents plastic bag manufacturers. Because most reusable bags are made overseas whereas most plastic bags are made in America, he claims, the new measure essentially would kill American jobs and replace them with Chinese jobs.

Joseph doesn’t believe consumers will use reusable bags as often as expected. They get dirty, so you don’t want to put food in them.

Oh noes, the Chinese!! (Don't ask her why the reusable bags are made overseas, though!) Being an "independent"--who just happens to lockstep with the GOP--she STUCK with that nonsense long afterwards, screeching long and hard about a family that supposedly contracted salmonella poisoning after carrying marketplace veggies in an unwashed bag that they had ALSO used for raw, dripping meat. Normally ready to jump all over people for carelessness and irresponsibility and mock their suffering, Saunders chose instead to warn the public of a epidemic of gastrointestinal nightmares if they used reusable bags.

(long pause)(cough)

Surprise! The story was horseshit!! Surprise!!

https://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2016/nov/23/james-quintero/james-quintero-says-salmonella-and-other-illnesses/

[CTyankee]

8. Thanks for that info.

It's helpful.

[scarytomcat]

9. so best answer

make plastic bags that last
I have 4 bags I have been using over 15 years

hemp is an alternative but we could go with unbleached organic cotton

but never plastic when possible