Politics.
Some thoughts while I was reading yesterday's paper at breakfast today (couldn't find it yesterday so I'm catching up):
- So Maui has banned all plastic bags from store registers and activists are urging Oahu to do the same. What do you MEAN, "one-use bags"? What are the pet owners gonna shove their animal's wastes in? What am I going to use to bag up horrendous-smelling trash? (And no, tall kitchen bags do not count.) What am I going to use to line my rubbish bins with? (Ditto previous note. We have several smaller trash bins.)
The move is toward so-called "reusable" bags like those totes that grocery stores sell. Anyone ever thought about how much more water we'll all use if we switch to reusable, washable items? Bags like that, you can't just throw in your dishwasher or washing machine to take advantage of your current water use. No, you're very likely going to have to use running water in the sink or garden hose or bathtub to get those things clean. I suppose you could try sponging them off, but in all my experience, a sponge-down just doesn't get it as clean as a thorough wash.
Not that I'm NOT advocating the use of reusable bags. But a complete ban on "one-use" plastic baggies is also unreasonable. I'd rather go with Kauai's ban on non-biodegradable bags, although THAT will also bring up the question of what to make such bags out of. Corn is already a highly precious commodity -- and corn itself takes a lot of resources to grow -- so corn-based biodegradable items are getting to be less economical in more ways than one.
- Our state is an IDIOT. 'Nuff said. >=/
Now back to what I was supposed to be doing today.
- So Maui has banned all plastic bags from store registers and activists are urging Oahu to do the same. What do you MEAN, "one-use bags"? What are the pet owners gonna shove their animal's wastes in? What am I going to use to bag up horrendous-smelling trash? (And no, tall kitchen bags do not count.) What am I going to use to line my rubbish bins with? (Ditto previous note. We have several smaller trash bins.)
The move is toward so-called "reusable" bags like those totes that grocery stores sell. Anyone ever thought about how much more water we'll all use if we switch to reusable, washable items? Bags like that, you can't just throw in your dishwasher or washing machine to take advantage of your current water use. No, you're very likely going to have to use running water in the sink or garden hose or bathtub to get those things clean. I suppose you could try sponging them off, but in all my experience, a sponge-down just doesn't get it as clean as a thorough wash.
Not that I'm NOT advocating the use of reusable bags. But a complete ban on "one-use" plastic baggies is also unreasonable. I'd rather go with Kauai's ban on non-biodegradable bags, although THAT will also bring up the question of what to make such bags out of. Corn is already a highly precious commodity -- and corn itself takes a lot of resources to grow -- so corn-based biodegradable items are getting to be less economical in more ways than one.
- Our state is an IDIOT. 'Nuff said. >=/
Now back to what I was supposed to be doing today.