This page was last updated on March 1, 2010.
There’s no reason to use plastic bags; Carl Davidson; Beaver County Times; February 28, 2010.
For some background info about Mr. Davidson, please go here.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“In regard to a recent article and letter to the editor on ‘free’ plastic bags:
“Plastic bags, like those you get at stores, aren’t really free. They have a social cost. And they are used at the rate of one million per minute, day in and day out.”
[RWC] What knowledgeable person said plastic bags were “free?” They are a cost of business passed onto consumers via product prices. The same is true for the aluminum, glass, plastic, steel, tin plate, et cetera used for product containers and wrappers.
“And everything goes somewhere. Plastic of this sort can hang around the environment for up to 1,000 years.”
[RWC] For what it’s worth, I recycle my plastic grocery bags in the bin outside the supermarket.
“Every piece of plastic ever made is still around - in landfills, floating in lakes, rivers and oceans, lying on the ground, piled up in your cellar or attic. If burned, they’re in the air as poisonous soot from the hydrocarbons they’re made from. Plastic is mainly made from oil or, in some cases, from crops that use a lot of oil.”
[RWC] “Every piece of plastic ever made is still around?” Not exactly. Even Mr. Davidson contradicts his assertion in the subsequent sentence. Mr. Davidson also ignores the fact that some plastics are biodegradable and some (probably not enough) are recycled into other products. For example, the plastic grocery bags I have claim to be at least 15% recycled plastic.
“It’s time to stop making them, period. It’s time to stop cutting down forests for paper bags, too.”
[RWC] Even biodegradable paper bags are evil? The paper grocery bags I have claim to be made at least partially from recycled material, and virgin trees used for this purpose are grown on “tree farms,” not in old growth forests. The last I checked, trees are a renewable resource and don’t folks like Mr. Davidson extol the virtues of renewable energy sources, resources, et cetera?
I may burn in Hell for saying this, but my personal preference is a paper bag inside of a plastic bag. The paper bag provides structure so groceries don’t go all over the place in the car or on the kitchen counter, and the plastic bag makes it easier to carry multiple bags of groceries.
“It’s not like there isn’t an alternative - plain old cotton net bags, with cotton fiber handles, that are reusable and washable. They work just fine, even better.”
[RWC] Of course, Mr. Davidson fails to note “plain old cotton net bags, with cotton fiber handles, that are reusable and washable” also “have a social cost.” Cotton growers consume fertilizers [many (most?) petrochemical based] and water to grow to cotton, and let’s not forget the land footprint as well as the fuel used for the machinery to plant, fertilize, water, harvest, and convert the raw cotton to bags. Let’s also not forget the resources (soap, water, electricity) - including our time - to wash the bags.
If people want to use “plain old cotton net bags, with cotton fiber handles, that are reusable and washable,” I think that’s fine. They shouldn’t, however, force the rest of us to live their lifestyle.
“It’s just a bad habit we’ve got to get rid of in order to leave a better planet for the next generation. Start doing it now, and spread the word.”
[RWC] “A bad habit?” Seriously?
Though it’s possible he may practice what he preaches, Mr. Davidson didn’t claim to use “plain old cotton net bags” himself or tell us for how long he has been doing it.
Keep in mind Mr. Davidson lives in rural Raccoon Township. Unless he is a farmer, if Mr. Davidson were really committed to leaving “a better planet for the next generation,” he might consider moving to one of the local towns. Why? Other than convenience stores, there is not much in the way of shopping in Raccoon (no offense intended to small shop owners), and the vast majority of the township is miles away from the nearest supermarket unless I’m forgetting one. That said, if a person lived right on the Hopewell Township border, he could walk to Giant Eagle, albeit a long walk alongside roads not designed or exactly safe for pedestrian traffic. If Mr. Davidson lived in town, he could walk to all of his shopping/service destinations instead of driving, and I suspect do more than using cotton bags instead of paper or plastic allegedly would. It would also reduce the “social cost” of utilities and government to provide his rural home with gas, electricity, phone service, roads, buses, and so on.
Finally, we have the tired old lefty tactic of making an emotional plea on behalf of “the next generation.” Honestly, whether we do or do not use plastic grocery bags won’t determine if we “leave a better planet for the next generation.” What will be a defining factor will be our ability to drive back those who support the same leftist principles as Mr. Davidson.
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