One of the greatest scams of the century. We were told that plastic bags were bad and had to be eliminated. So we did. What was the result?
“After California became the first state in 2016 to ban single-use plastic grocery bags, the thicker convenience totes that took their place as a reusable and recyclable alternative weren’t reused and actually aren’t recyclable. In fact, the study finds, the total amount of trash from plastic bags that California sends to landfills has never been higher.
In February, the LA Times reported on the study, which looked at the impact of the plastic bag ban implemented ten years ago as an effort to reduce the amount of plastic waste and encourage the public to use reusable bags. A “loophole” allowed businesses to offer thicker “reusable” plastic bags at checkout for a small fee, but many consumers threw those out after a single use as well.”
This was not about plastic or the environment. It was about how far government could go to control the actions and decisions of the public. They won—and we lost. After this they gave us an even bigger scam—social instancing, masks and dangerous vaccines. That killed off our economy. It will take a generation to recover from that fraud.
LA Times admits California plastic bag ban actually made waste problem worse: ‘Unintended consequences’
Newspaper calls for ‘a second plastic bag ban’
By Kendall Tietz Fox News, 8/6/24 https://www.foxnews.com/media/la-times-admits-california-plastic-bag-ban-actually-made-waste-problem-worse-unintended-consequences
A Los Angeles Times editorial is asking for a “do over” in the plastic bag ban that actually led to more plastic waste, according to a recent report.
After California became the first state in 2016 to ban single-use plastic grocery bags, the thicker convenience totes that took their place as a reusable and recyclable alternative weren’t reused and actually aren’t recyclable. In fact, the study finds, the total amount of trash from plastic bags that California sends to landfills has never been higher.
In February, the LA Times reported on the study, which looked at the impact of the plastic bag ban implemented ten years ago as an effort to reduce the amount of plastic waste and encourage the public to use reusable bags. A “loophole” allowed businesses to offer thicker “reusable” plastic bags at checkout for a small fee, but many consumers threw those out after a single use as well.
But, the editorial board now claims: “No one is to blame for this bad situation. No loopholes were exploited, there were no shady moves.”
“Retailers handed them out like candy, and consumers couldn’t have recycled them even if they wanted to. No recycling facility in the state accepts these bags,” the editorial read.
In 2014, California tossed about 157,385 tons of plastic bag waste into the trash. But in 2022, plastic bags accounted for about 231,072 tons of trash, which is almost a 50% increase, according to data from CalRecycle, CALPIRG, the consumer advocacy group.
“This can’t go on,” the editorial board wrote. “We need a do-over — a second plastic bag ban that fulfills the promise that lawmakers made in 2014 by passing Senate Bill 270, and that voters embraced two years later when they rejected an industry-led ballot measure to overturn it.”
The problem, they claim, was fueled by the pandemic, when the plastic bag ban was suspended because of sanitary concerns.
The Times’ editorial board claims the problem can be fixed by two bills currently moving through the legislature, which would ban all plastic bags from grocery store checkouts beginning in 2026, only allowing paper bags made of at least 50% recycled materials and “truly reusable bags” shoppers bring to the grocery store.
They also call on lawmakers to expand the bill to eliminate plastic bag use at farmers’ markets, restaurants and some retail stores as well. But, they say, progress can’t stop there and that there should be a concerted effort to eliminate disposable plastic packaging in every state and nation.
“California has already taken a step in that direction by passing Senate Bill 54 two years ago, which by 2032 will phase out most plastic found today on grocery store shelves,” the editorial concluded. “As for plastic bags, we can and should deal with them sooner.”
