I’m not sure how any program to recycle plastic bags (etc) is supposed to show 60% recycling-compliance without labeling instructing consumers to recycle the bags. Wouldn’t it just be simpler to ban the plastic?
It would also be simpler to just ban cigarettes and alcohol and all of those things that the State of California knows to cause cancer. Complete prohibition is not the only policy tool we have, and indeed it's usually a pretty bad tool.
Right now, recycling (at least, of plastic) is a lie. This law is about forcing companies to stop lying. Seems appropriate to me.
Glass containers were far more common when I was growing up. Manufacturers and retailers prefer plastic because it's cheaper to ship and has less breakage. At the consumer end of things, glass is a minor danger but I remember when sidewalks and parking lots used to frequently have glass shards. Nearby grassy areas ended up with them too. And if you dropped a glass jar at home, it was a challenge to find every little bit of glass that flew off across the floor.
Plastic has done away with many of the problems that glass containers created, though it has a ton of issues of its own.
Though it brings a whole host of other challenges, if I could scan my groceries as I put them in the cart, I could bag them in my own containers as I go. I know a few chains allow scanning while shopping but it's not widespread and I'm not sure if they actually allow you to use your own bags. Theft would be a real problem that can't just be hand waved away but it sure would be ideal and do away with most of the grocery bag problem, at least for me.
The process is super common in the big UK supermarkets - and it's absolutely my preferred way of doing a larger shop. You can use whatever bags/containers you like (or even none at all and just keep things in the trolley/cart if you want). They then do spot checks at the checkout to see if items have been scanned, and remove any security tags
I’m not sure how any program to recycle plastic bags (etc) is supposed to show 60% recycling-compliance without labeling instructing consumers to recycle the bags. Wouldn’t it just be simpler to ban the plastic?
It would also be simpler to just ban cigarettes and alcohol and all of those things that the State of California knows to cause cancer. Complete prohibition is not the only policy tool we have, and indeed it's usually a pretty bad tool.
Right now, recycling (at least, of plastic) is a lie. This law is about forcing companies to stop lying. Seems appropriate to me.
Glass containers were far more common when I was growing up. Manufacturers and retailers prefer plastic because it's cheaper to ship and has less breakage. At the consumer end of things, glass is a minor danger but I remember when sidewalks and parking lots used to frequently have glass shards. Nearby grassy areas ended up with them too. And if you dropped a glass jar at home, it was a challenge to find every little bit of glass that flew off across the floor.
Plastic has done away with many of the problems that glass containers created, though it has a ton of issues of its own.
Though it brings a whole host of other challenges, if I could scan my groceries as I put them in the cart, I could bag them in my own containers as I go. I know a few chains allow scanning while shopping but it's not widespread and I'm not sure if they actually allow you to use your own bags. Theft would be a real problem that can't just be hand waved away but it sure would be ideal and do away with most of the grocery bag problem, at least for me.
The process is super common in the big UK supermarkets - and it's absolutely my preferred way of doing a larger shop. You can use whatever bags/containers you like (or even none at all and just keep things in the trolley/cart if you want). They then do spot checks at the checkout to see if items have been scanned, and remove any security tags