Poll of the Day > Uh oh my city is banning plastic bags next month

(+) Yeah! (+)

ReturnOfFa posted...

In a separate fully sealed smallish garbage can, yes? Also, that blows away Rev's weird comment about waste disposal bags not being big enough, if you chose to do this. Those little poop bags are plenty big enough, you can pick up big fat dog shits with those.

so you use a trashcan specifically for the cat poop

what is lining the trash can

a plastic bag

with my way, i get the bags for free
with your way, you pay for them.

we are doing the same thing, except one of us is paying money to do it

NeoSioType posted...

Japanese carrying around used cat litter? Possibly a new jutsu to ward off bears?

Why is this topic about cat poop?

Isnt this about grocery store bags?

In Japan, we use plastic bags for rubbish. You have to ONLY put certain things in them, so they can recycle the bags. Plastic only, for example. This works well enough.

When you go grocery shopping, everyone has a fabric bag. Men, women, kids. I have maybe 4. You can get normal ones, or some with designs on them. They carry anything getter than any plastic bag ever did.

You guys are whining about nothing, because you never experienced the alternative.

_____Cait posted...

You guys are whining about nothing, because you never experienced the alternative.

We can buy fabric shopping bags in England. I don't feel the need though as they are more expensive than plastic ones.

wwinterj25 posted...

We can buy fabric shopping bags in England. I don't feel the need though as they are more expensive than plastic ones.

You reuse them. You dont throw them out. These are big and durable. Why would you need plastic bags?

_____Cait posted...

You reuse them. You dont throw them out. These are big and durable. Why would you need plastic bags?

I put rubbish in plastic bags so it's more easy for me to carry to the bin outside. I'm not going to keep going outside to put my cans in my brown bin everytime I use them.

Shrek posted...

with my way, i get the bags for free
with your way, you pay for them.

we are doing the same thing, except one of us is paying money to do it

Perhaps my privilege is showing, but I'm okay with spending $2 every 2-3 months for bags.

Shrek posted...

so you use a trashcan specifically for the cat poop

what is lining the trash can

a plastic bag

with my way, i get the bags for free
with your way, you pay for them.

we are doing the same thing, except one of us is paying money to do it

you are using plastic bags every time you go to the grocery store so you can shove them under a sink and use it to pick up the cat shit. yes, you're doing what I have done in the past and what shitloads of people do. I was mostly just curious what you do, and then Rev butted in and had to act like it was because of the size of the bags.

yes I have paid less than $2 for a spool of hundreds of bags that are more efficient due to size, and are biodegradable. crucify me!!!

_____Cait posted...

You reuse them. You dont throw them out. These are big and durable. Why would you need plastic bags?

For some reason people are interested in these plastic bags for the purpose of picking up pet poop. What is your recommendation from the Land of the Rising Sun?

ReturnOfFa posted...

For some reason people are interested in these plastic bags for the purpose of picking up pet poop. What is your recommendation from the Land of the Rising Sun?

There are special poop bags you can buy. Or you know, just use good sand.

If what stops recycling is someone worried about cat poop, i hope aliens discover our world and see a record of this topic when we go extinct.

ReturnOfFa posted...

Are you/him/other people putting bags in their cat litter boxes???? Or using bags to scoop shit out instead of the scoop???? Are you leaving the cat litter dirty enough that you need a bag in it? That would smell fucking disgusting. I have taken care of cats. You scoop the shit and clumped piss out daily and replace the litter every few weeks or once a month. I am not sure where a bag enters the equation and nobody I know with a cat uses a bag.

Using an actual scoop is a waste of cat litter. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vibrant-Life-Jumbo-Melamine-Cat-Litter-Scoop-White/750597046

Something like this is far better.

_____Cait posted...

There are special poop bags you can buy. Or you know, just use good sand.

or you can use the bags you get for free from already buying things.

the type of litter used is irrelevant to the subject

adjl posted...

Perhaps my privilege is showing, but I'm okay with spending $2 every 2-3 months for bags.

okay? go right ahead. i can't tell you how to spend your money

but spending it on something that's presumably free already is rather silly

Shrek posted...

but spending it on something that's presumably free already is rather silly

When it's a trivial amount of money and it gives me a size that's actually appropriate for the job instead of generating a bunch of unnecessary plastic waste? Not really. Especially so where I can't get plastic grocery bags for free and this is coming from a perspective of "I really don't need to care about this" instead of coming up with a strategy for dealing with cat poop.

what will we do with half the ethylene gas produced from petroleum processing

wwinterj25 posted...

We can buy fabric shopping bags in England. I don't feel the need though as they are more expensive than plastic ones.

You can always use the ones that allow a free replacement. One time payment and then you can freely keep exchanging it.

adjl posted...

Especially so where I can't get plastic grocery bags for free and this is coming from a perspective of "I really don't need to care about this" instead of coming up with a strategy for dealing with cat poop.

exactly.

i come from a place where i can get them for free. suddenly making me have to pay for it is dumb, especially when the replacement is just the same thing but marginally smaller. the same effect is happening. the waste goes into the plastic, the plastic gets thrown away. there's effectively no difference except making me pay for it now.

no one likes having to pay for something they got for free prior. getting rid of free grocery bags and making people pay for them, just in general, also sucks. it's essentially punishing you while helping the store not have to pay for bags since they now can just charge for other bags, since it's an essential need to, y'know, carry shit.

all these plastic bag bans do is enable stores to make even more profit off of you while reducing their own margins, and i'm sick of this shit.

Because it is about awareness, not about making money. The price for the plastic bag is symbolic, not for profit.

Shrek posted...

especially when the replacement is just the same thing but marginally smaller.

The bags I use are less than a tenth the size of a grocery bag, and if I wanted to spend a bit more, I could get biodegradable ones that eliminate the plastic waste entirely. It's a pretty substantial reduction in total plastic bag waste even for the people that normally reuse most or all of their plastic shopping bags. It gets even larger when you consider that most people don't do that and instead just throw out most or all of their plastic bags.

Shrek posted...

all these plastic bag bans do is enable stores to make even more profit off of you while reducing their own margins, and i'm sick of this s***.

In the last five years, I've spent maybe $10 on reusable grocery bags (not counting the Costco cooler bag, which was much more expensive but also serves a purpose regular grocery bags never could and therefore doesn't belong in this comparison). I had one tear, and the grocery store replaced it for free. In the grand scheme of corporations price gouging customers, this is nothing. You've spent more time trying to defend free plastic bags than it would take to earn the difference in cost at minimum wage, and given that it does actually reduce the amount of plastic bag waste on a larger scale, that makes very little sense.

Revelation34 posted...

Using an actual scoop is a waste of cat litter. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Vibrant-Life-Jumbo-Melamine-Cat-Litter-Scoop-White/750597046

Something like this is far better.

I obviously meant a slotted scoop, good lord.

Shrek is addicted to grocery bags and will go to the grave before trying alternatives. Good thing my stupid province forces it on people.

MagicalPrincess posted...

I reuse plastic bags for trash. It's really messed up to ban it.

Yeah my overall plastic waste increase substantially when they banned plastic because now I can't reuse the plastic bags as trash bin liners, so I have to buy more bags. And the reusable are something you have to haul around with you, take up trunk space and therefore waste gas. And they use something like a thousand bags worth of plastic and water to create one of those stupid reusable bags and they don't even last that long. Most are wrecked after a few uses. It's so bad that I use those things in my trunk to wrap up stuff instead, like if I'm taking my skis out I'll wrap my ski poles. Or use them as a floor for the trunk to carry something dirty.
It also means you can't easily walk to a grocery store anymore, you have to know ahead of time and bring bags with you.

...

I've never had a reusable bag fall apart

I don't drive and somehow manage to do groceries with reusable bags without wasting gas. my parents who have to drive keep some in the car so they have them readily available

using a grocery bag for a garbage bag, Vs just using a garbage bag, it's still one bag in the landfill. and many people don't repurpose grocery bags like that so it's net less in the landfill

BTW there's also biodegradable bags for things like pet waste and food waste

there's tons of places in the world, including the states, where this is a thing. such a mountain out of a molehill

SinisterSlay posted...

Yeah my overall plastic waste increase substantially when they banned plastic because now I can't reduce the plastic bags as trash bin liners, so I have to buy more bags.

That sounds like you're producing, at worst, exactly the same amount of plastic waste.

SinisterSlay posted...

they don't even last that long. Most are wrecked after a few uses.

I've seen some terrible ones that don't last, but most I've used are still going strong after years of regular use, and those are just generic grocery store ones. Not sure what you're buying if they're falling apart that quickly.

SinisterSlay posted...

It also means you can't easily walk to a grocery store anymore, you have to know ahead of time and bring bags with you.

That can be an issue, but at least in my experience, it's pretty rare for me to spontaneously walk to the grocery store. If I'm getting groceries without a car without planning to before I leave my house, it's because the store is on my way home from something, and in the vast majority of cases "something" usually means I've got either a backpack or a saddle bag with me. I don't typically keep reusable bags in those because I don't typically find that I need them, but if it were a common issue, I'd just stick 2-3 in there and haul them out as needed. Said backpack/saddle bag can also hold a decent amount themselves, and in practice, I find spontaneous trips for groceries tend to only involve a couple items anyway, so a bag might not even be necessary.

If you frequently find yourself impulsively walking to get a significant number of groceries from somewhere other than your home, while also not making a habit of carrying some kind of bag with you while you're out, I can see it being a noteworthy problem. But even then, it's not that hard to get in the habit of adding a folded-up bag to the wallet-keys-phone that normally make up your everyday carry, and I would expect that to be sufficient in the vast majority of cases.

Arv still hates the plastic bag ban

adjl posted...

If you frequently find yourself impulsively walking to get a significant number of groceries from somewhere other than your home, while also not making a habit of carrying some kind of bag with you while you're out, I can see it being a noteworthy problem. But even then, it's not that hard to get in the habit of adding a folded-up bag to the wallet-keys-phone that normally make up your everyday carry, and I would expect that to be sufficient in the vast majority of cases.

It does happen a lot because we'll be on a hike, then stop at a grocery store. So we have hiking equipment, usually not bags. Sometimes 1 or 2 since they have other uses. But it has worked out that I have 50+ reusable bags around that I regularly throw them out now. It just keeps happening that I end up at a store without enough of them and get more every damn time.

I also used to reuse the plastic bags. They were so easy to pack in your pockets or leave a few in the trunk. They had so many uses. Reuse them until they were full of holes. And sometimes past even that point. It seemed dumb to just throw them out. Sometimes it was a simple as your shoes being full of mud, so you stuck them in the plastic bag and stuck them in the trunk. They were great for fishing supplies, especially carrying bait fish. Carry a bag of frozen anchovies, wouldn't reuse whatever that was in.

SinisterSlay posted...

Yeah my overall plastic waste increase substantially when they banned plastic because now I can't reuse the plastic bags as trash bin liners, so I have to buy more bags. And the reusable are something you have to haul around with you, take up trunk space and therefore waste gas. And they use something like a thousand bags worth of plastic and water to create one of those stupid reusable bags and they don't even last that long. Most are wrecked after a few uses. It's so bad that I use those things in my trunk to wrap up stuff instead, like if I'm taking my skis out I'll wrap my ski poles. Or use them as a floor for the trunk to carry something dirty.
It also means you can't easily walk to a grocery store anymore, you have to know ahead of time and bring bags with you.

What the hell are you on if you think a reusable bag uses up space/gas

adjl posted...

When it's a trivial amount of money and it gives me a size that's actually appropriate for the job instead of generating a bunch of unnecessary plastic waste? Not really. Especially so where I can't get plastic grocery bags for free and this is coming from a perspective of "I really don't need to care about this" instead of coming up with a strategy for dealing with cat poop.

What's more wasteful. Not using the grocery bag at all cause of this and buying and using some other plastic or use what's give to you for free that would otherwise just go in the trash

Grocery bags also make great liners for those really small trash cans if you use any. We have one as a bathroom trash can and we use the grocery bags foe that too

I'm just saying as long as they are being used by the store might as well take advantage and use them foe other things.

Nichtcrawler-X posted...

You can always use the ones that allow a free replacement. One time payment and then you can freely keep exchanging it.

In England? Nah. We don't get free bags.

Sufferedphoneix posted...

What's more wasteful. Not using the grocery bag at all cause of this and buying and using some other plastic or use what's give to you for free that would otherwise just go in the trash

Grocery bags also make great liners for those really small trash cans if you use any. We have one as a bathroom trash can and we use the grocery bags foe that too

I'm just saying as long as they are being used by the store might as well take advantage and use them foe other things.

Grocery bags are not biodegradable. You can buy bags that are more size efficient and also get bags that are biodegradable. Plastic shopping bags are far worse for the environment and you typically end up with a large amount shoved under the sink as opposed to simply buying them for when use is necessary.

ReturnOfFa posted...

What the hell are you on if you think a reusable bag uses up space/gas

Think I'm making it up?
Here's a picture of my car trunk. It's empty, just those fucking bags you have to take everywhere
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/2/6/AAXuwuAAE1pm.jpg

SinisterSlay posted...

Think I'm making it up?
Here's a picture of my car trunk. It's empty, just those fucking bags you have to take everywhere
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/2/6/AAXuwuAAE1pm.jpg

Yeah, they take up space if you shove them in there like a 5 year old. And why do you need 20 of them?

ReturnOfFa posted...

Yeah, they take up space if you shove them in there like a 5 year old. And why do you need 20 of them?

20. There's over 50 in there.
I don't need them, but every time you go to a store and forget them, you end up with more.
I've had to put up with these damn things for nearly 15 years already. They build up. I also have those damn plastic bins they used to push. I use them as dirt holders.

@SinisterSlay https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/3/9/AAUdByAAE1pz.jpg 5 bags. Triple that and we're still barely taking up room.

SinisterSlay posted...

20. There's over 50 in there.
I don't need them, but every time you go to a store and forget them, you end up with more.
I've had to put up with these damn things for nearly 15 years already. They build up. I also have those damn plastic bins they used to push. I use them as dirt holders.

right I don't do that because I know how to learn and remember things. enjoy

ReturnOfFa posted...

Grocery bags are not biodegradable. You can buy bags that are more size efficient and also get bags that are biodegradable. Plastic shopping bags are far worse for the environment and you typically end up with a large amount shoved under the sink as opposed to simply buying them for when use is necessary.

While true this isn't a issue we can fix simply by some of us changing our ways. Thise bags are still being produced and ultimately discarded at some point. And as Long as that's the case they may as well get used in some fashion more than just carrying groceries into the house.

This is a problem I feel HAS to be fixed by laws or whatever. As long as stores carry them they are gonna end up in a landfill at some point regardless.

ReturnOfFa posted...

@SinisterSlay https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/3/9/AAUdByAAE1pz.jpg 5 bags. Triple that and we're still barely taking up room.

You must not shop much. Any less than 10 bags and it's not worth a trip to the store for me.
Hell last time I ordered Walmart online, they came out with 20 more of the damn things. I didn't even ask.

SinisterSlay posted...

You must not shop much. Any less than 10 bags and it's not worth a trip to the store for me

Fair enough point if you've got family or shop at Costco/Superstore etc. I am still capable of having 15 bags take up negligable space.

Buy flushable cat litter. Just about any cat litter that isn't bentonite clay is fully flushable.

ReturnOfFa posted...

Fair enough point if you've got family or shop at Costco/Superstore etc. I am still capable of having 15 bags take up negligable space.

A major part of it is I live far away from a city. So when I do drive there, I stock up a lot.
But like I said, there is over 50 in there right now. I would not be surprised if I have over 300 of the things total. Especially the dollar store ones and the Walmart ones. Walmart likes to randomly bag your stuff for you in those, and you feel bad telling the minimum wage worker to unbag them to place them in your own bags instead. Walmart online orders are useful because we can say we'll arrive at 6pm and they come to your car with all your stuff, then head home again.

xGhostchantx posted...

Buy flushable cat litter. Just about any cat litter that isn't bentonite clay is fully flushable.

Still shouldn't be flushing those turds. Not good for the water system.

SinisterSlay posted...

A major part of it is I live far away from a city. So when I do drive there, I stock up a lot.
But like I said, there is over 50 in there right now. I would not be surprised if I have over 300 of the things total. Especially the dollar store ones and the Walmart ones. Walmart likes to randomly bag your stuff for you in those, and you feel bad telling the minimum wage worker to unbag them to place them in your own bags instead. Walmart online orders are useful because we can say we'll arrive at 6pm and they come to your car with all your stuff, then head home again.

Seems like our stores operate a fair bit differently! I'll stop razzing you :p

SinisterSlay posted...

It does happen a lot because we'll be on a hike, then stop at a grocery store. So we have hiking equipment, usually not bags.

So... you've got a backpack and could fit 2-3 folded-up bags in there pretty easily? Sounds like that might be a good thing to get in the habit of doing, especially if you plan to stop for groceries.

For that matter, where are you hiking that you don't need to drive to get there but also walk past a grocery store on your way home? That seems like a rather unusual set of circumstances, given how many grocery stores aren't exactly in pleasantly walkable areas (and those that are are in a more urban setting than "hiking" suggests).

Sufferedphoneix posted...

What's more wasteful. Not using the grocery bag at all cause of this and buying and using some other plastic or use what's give to you for free that would otherwise just go in the trash

In terms of plastic waste? They're identical at best, and it's probable that even if you make a habit of reusing plastic grocery bags you're still going to be throwing some out un-reused (by simple virtue of the fact that you use them to bring stuff into the house, but then you consume some of what you brought in and the volume of waste that leaves the house is less). The only difference is that you end up paying for the occasional package of suitable plastic garbage bags instead of getting it for free, and that cost is pretty negligible (though the fact that you've paid for them incentivizes you to use fewer, such as not bothering to line a garbage can that never sees anything that's actually messy enough to warrant a liner, which reduces waste).

SinisterSlay posted...

Think I'm making it up?
Here's a picture of my car trunk. It's empty, just those fucking bags you have to take everywhere
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/2/6/AAXuwuAAE1pm.jpg

1. Those Compliments bags are exactly the ones I've been using for several years without issue, so I'm not sure what you're doing that they "are wrecked after a few uses"
2. At least three of the bags I see are insulated cooler bags, which can't be replaced by plastic bags and therefore don't factor into the comparison
3. It'd take about 3 minutes to fold those up properly so they took up a quarter of the space
4. That still doesn't answer why you think they take up extra gas. Strictly speaking, yes, it is extra weight, but on the scale of a 1300 kg car with 3-400 pounds of people in it, an extra 10 pounds of bags (if that) isn't exactly impactful
5. If you know for a fact that you won't need that many bags for a regular trip, storing them in your trunk at all times doesn't make much sense

adjl posted...

terms of plastic waste? They're identical at best, and it's probable that even if you make a habit of reusing plastic grocery bags you're still going to be throwing some out un-reused (by simple virtue of the fact that you use them to bring stuff into the house, but then you consume some of what you brought in and the volume of waste that leaves the house is less). The only difference is that you end up paying for the occasional package of suitable plastic garbage bags instead of getting it for free, and that cost is pretty negligible (though the fact that you've paid for them incentivizes you to use fewer, such as not bothering to line a garbage can that never sees anything that's actually messy enough to warrant a liner, which reduces waste

As said we use it for a bathroom trash can. Some things are messy enough. Like me personally I'm gonna smoke a cigarette while I shit or get ready for work (shaving getting dressed etc) so I do have a ash tray in the bathroom. If I happen to finish my drink (drink canned drinks) that's going in the bin too.

adjl posted...

So... you've got a backpack and could fit 2-3 folded-up bags in there pretty easily? Sounds like that might be a good thing to get in the habit of doing, especially if you plan to stop for groceries.

For that matter, where are you hiking that you don't need to drive to get there but also walk past a grocery store on your way home? That seems like a rather unusual set of circumstances, given how many grocery stores aren't exactly in pleasantly walkable areas (and those that are are in a more urban setting than "hiking" suggests).

In terms of plastic waste? They're identical at best, and it's probable that even if you make a habit of reusing plastic grocery bags you're still going to be throwing some out un-reused (by simple virtue of the fact that you use them to bring stuff into the house, but then you consume some of what you brought in and the volume of waste that leaves the house is less). The only difference is that you end up paying for the occasional package of suitable plastic garbage bags instead of getting it for free, and that cost is pretty negligible (though the fact that you've paid for them incentivizes you to use fewer, such as not bothering to line a garbage can that never sees anything that's actually messy enough to warrant a liner, which reduces waste).

1. Those Compliments bags are exactly the ones I've been using for several years without issue, so I'm not sure what you're doing that they "are wrecked after a few uses"
2. At least three of the bags I see are insulated cooler bags, which can't be replaced by plastic bags and therefore don't factor into the comparison
3. It'd take about 3 minutes to fold those up properly so they took up a quarter of the space
4. That still doesn't answer why you think they take up extra gas. Strictly speaking, yes, it is extra weight, but on the scale of a 1300 kg car with 3-400 pounds of people in it, an extra 10 pounds of bags (if that) isn't exactly impactful
5. If you know for a fact that you won't need that many bags for a regular trip, storing them in your trunk at all times doesn't make much sense

The folded up ones are under the floor, they keep the spare tire from rattling.

While I've obviously shown that I'm pretty into being all neat and efficient, etc, I still don't really mind that other people are messier than me. Well, unless we're living together, lol. Society is fucked. I can see why some people drop that on their to-do list when it comes to living their lives.

Nichtcrawler-X posted...

Because it is about awareness, not about making money. The price for the plastic bag is symbolic, not for profit.

No company stops using plastic bags because of "awareness". It is always because of the government banning them.

ReturnOfFa posted...

Grocery bags are not biodegradable. You can buy bags that are more size efficient and also get bags that are biodegradable. Plastic shopping bags are far worse for the environment and you typically end up with a large amount shoved under the sink as opposed to simply buying them for when use is necessary.

You can also throw them in a recycling bin if they can no longer be used after using them.

xGhostchantx posted...

Buy flushable cat litter. Just about any cat litter that isn't bentonite clay is fully flushable.

Which is also far more expensive.

ReturnOfFa posted...

Plastic shopping bags are far worse for the environment and you typically end up with a large amount shoved under the sink as opposed to simply buying them for when use is necessary.

Tbf, I wouldnt want to buy them at all when I can get them for free That said, I also use my plastic bags very frequently

use ful for cat liter

Revelation34 posted...

You can also throw them in a recycling bin if they can no longer be used after using them.

depends. fair point generally but many counties or municipalities don't. many recycling systems are broken as well. they're all pretty terrible for the environment. The way plastic bags break down into microplastics is pretty shite.

I prefer the reusable bags, I've got about 5 or 6 of them. Unfortunately 2 of the nicer looking ones were cheaply made and started ripping after a few uses. Most of them are still good to go. Our state was supposed to ban them, but I guess they never got around to it properly. So they just decided to charge 10 cents a bag instead.