The 100-billion single-use plastic bags that Americans throw away each year have created a damaging niche in our natural environment.
Made from petroleum products, the bags become mistaken food sources for ocean wildlife, litter our streets and beaches and break down — after upwards of 1,000 years — into toxic chemicals that contribute to water and air pollution.
It’s almost to the point where we have accepted them as part of the natural landscape, a new species if you will. If you don’t believe it, check out "The Majestic Plastic Bag," a mockumentary funded by a California non-profit working to ban plastic bags in their area. It’s funny in a sad way, isn’t it?
Don’t get depressed; unlike many of the complex, doomsday environmental problems we face, this one comes with an easy fix. All over the world, governments from the largest countries — Italy, Germany, South Africa, Australia — down to the tiniest village — Southampton — are making great strides to break this 30-year habitat of convenience.
Southampton Advocates for the Village Environment successfully advocated for the village to draft a law that would ban the distribution of the most commonly used disposable plastic bags. The village is currently working out the details of the proposal.
Mackie Finnerty, a member of SAVE, expressed the importance of a ban in the village due to its location. “We thought it was important to implement a plastic bag ban in the seaside towns because plastic bags are frequently found in ponds, on the dunes and along beaches," she said. “Plastic bags not only end up as litter, but they also kill birds and sea creatures, compromising our already fragile ecosystems.”
Last year, Group for the East End teamed up with approximately 30 other Long Island-wide organizations and advocated for the passage of Suffolk County’s proposal to eliminate the distribution of single-use plastic bags at large retail stores. Unfortunately, the bill met considerable opposition from the plastic and grocery industries, and it fizzled out.
However, momentum is now growing and with some luck we will be saying bye-bye to disposable plastic bags in the near future. In the meantime, think reusable, reusable, reusable bags.
Until We Can Say Bye-Bye for Good, Here’s What You Can Do:
1. When asked if you prefer paper or plastic and the checkout counter, reply “neither” and start sporting reusable bags. They are everywhere in many styles and most cost less than a can of soda.
2. Support the village of Southampton’s goal of eliminating the distribution and use of disposable plastic bags. Please write to Mayor Mark Epley and the village trustees and express your support for the proposal.
3. Look for the recycling bins in larger retail stores to drop off unwanted plastic bags.
4. Contact your municipal leaders and ask them to ban single-use plastic bags in your community.
Bruce
8:20 pm on Saturday, February 26, 2011
When you think about it, there is not a bag, either plastic or paper to be had in the food wholesale stores such as BJ's. And they do ten times the business of the local supermarkets. Combine this with the leftover cardboard boxes in the front of the store for patrons who wish to take to their cars and pack their groceries. That's good recycling practice.
In reality however, there will always have to be something available for patrons to carry their groceries who don't have access to, or refuse to use the cloth reusable ones. If it's paper, than it should be recycled paper bags. No more trees should be used for this purpose, even it it costs more to go that route.
Walter Kaprielian
10:24 pm on Saturday, February 26, 2011
I've been hearing this in East Hampton for 18 years now. It was more noticeable when we had our open dump and the wind blew them up into nearby trees. Not so in our present recycling facilities. Truth be told, bringing home a week's groceries in plastic bags is a lot easier than paper bags, plus we don't kill so many trees making them. Then there are secondary uses for them in most households. What we DO need are biodegradable "plastic" bags and I don't think that should be that difficult to create. What we DON'T need is another piece of legislation to add to the list of legislation no one adheres to, nor is ever enforced. What we DO need is a reawakening of pure and simple pick up after yourself ethics. If you wouldn't throw it on the beach, you shouldn't throw it in your street. Throw it in the water and anyone who owns a boat will tell you the law exists with a heavy fine, with or without a boat. You can blame the bag, but the fault lies in what you do with them. Pick up after yourself. Anything less is littering and the laws are already on the books for that.
Gail Simons
6:47 am on Sunday, February 27, 2011
People will always resort to convenience - if the plastic bag is there, they'll use it. Plain and simple. Get rid of them and people will use something else. Imagine if you walked into Waldbaum's and there were no bags to bring home your groceries in (they'd become extinct overnight) - oh, sure, you'd grumble and get all grumpy, but the next time you went you'd sure as heck bring your recycle sacks with you! WE NEED TO END OUR DEPENDENCE ON UN-NECESSARY PETROLEUM PRODUCTS!!!!!!!!!
Jerry Can
12:06 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Well I would go to King Kullen instead if the Village passes the law. Can't wait for Tuckahoe KK to go up. Some of us prefer the plastic bag. Use them for trash can liners, they are much better then paper bags that will rip or disintegrate or the plastic bags that Glad et.al. would much prefer you buy fom them and will take forever more time to "disintegrate". The plastic bags are actually a petroleum by product that stretches the uses of petroleum. Your going to need and be using petroleum well into the future. The plastic bag is a means to maximize the use of that petroleum. Also remember,that plastic bag you get at Waldbaum's is way more sanitary than the reusable bags where bacteria is likely to develop over time and mildew as well.
Gail Simons
9:41 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Jerry, there is no reason that we can't end our dependence on petroleum products. The myth that oil companies have fed to our complacent minds, that we "need" petroleum products serves only their big fat wallets. Petroleum can be replaced by greener solutions in vitually every instance. Why continue to kill ourseleves and our planet??? Only the crusty and ignorant hold on to the use of petroleum lies for our future.
Jerry Can
11:18 am on Thursday, March 17, 2011
Crusty and ignorant? Why that's really sweet of you. Well, pretty and intelligent you are really kidding yourself if you think you will see the demise of petroleum any time soon. I'm no oil barrel huger either but for quite a while petroleum is going to be part of our society for one use or another. There is no magic product out there that is going to eliminate it as an energy source, industrial uses such as lubricants for factories, or personal products like creams and plastic bags. Alternatives have their limitations too and costs as well. There is no unlimited supplies or raw materials to substitute for it. Coal has limitations, Nuclear lets not discuss at this moment, Wind has some promise but visuals are not that great and can only compliment other forms of energy, solar is nice but requires minerals that are also limited and not viable in all places, wood you need to enormous amounts of and the health consequences are also a consideration. But by all means if you think you can replace petroleum with greener products go right ahead that is your choice.
Ted Webb
9:03 am on Sunday, February 27, 2011
How about Southold Town requirement that we use yellow bags?
Patricia Hafen
9:23 am on Sunday, February 27, 2011
As long as the grocery stores continue to hand them out people will continue to use them. In Europe everyone brings their own satchels for their groceries. The first time I went grocery shopping in Switzwerland and waited for them to start bagging my groceries, they looked at me like I had 3 eyes.
David D'Agostino
10:50 am on Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thank you, Mackie! Need more reasons not to use plastic bags?
"The production of plastic bags requires petroleum and often natural gas, both non-renewable resources that increase our dependency on foreign suppliers. Additionally, prospecting and drilling for these resources contributes to the destruction of fragile habitats and ecosystems around the world.
The toxic chemical ingredients needed to make plastic produces pollution during the manufacturing process.
The energy needed to manufacture and transport disposable bags eats up more resources and creates global warming emissions."
source: http://www.reuseit.com/learn-more/myth-busting/plastic-bags-are-free
Jerry Can
12:26 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
No way. Plastic bags are a by product of petroleum production. We need to prospect petroleum and natural gas predominantly for other uses. We don't exploit these products for plastics bags. Do we? The manufacture of plastic bags, like skin products and lubricants, is a by product that maximizes the use of petroleum. You don't think that producing paper bags is pollution free, energy free, or any less degrading to the environment? It takes 30 years to grow an industrial tree that would be adequate for paper back production, otherwise you could always chop down one of our old growth forest that is left. Can you imagine if your were successful in wiping out all plastic bag usage, what would you use? Probably not because the price of these would be through the roof. The point is people are responsible for the environment not plastic bags. Use them properly, dispose of them properly, provide recycling options for them(such as a plastic bag recycling bin at the town recycling center).
Benja Schwartz
12:46 pm on Sunday, February 27, 2011
What We Do
#1 Decide to give up the convenience of plastic grocery bags. I do not deny that plastic bags are more convenient, But the hidden costs are tremendous. In addition to the direct cost to the store to buy the bags (which raises the price of everyone's groceries) estimates of external costs of disposal, pollution, cleaning up litter, recycling, etc. are frightening. Besides it can be a pleasure to choose and use your favorite reusable bags. And reusable bags are stronger and may also be insulated. I even have a bag with pockets for coupons and my shopping list.
#2 Collect reusable bags and store them in your car or truck.
#3 If you forget to bring your bags into the store, after you checkout put your groceries back in your cart and bag them at your vehicle.
David D'Agostino
1:03 pm on Sunday, February 27, 2011
#3 is a great idea. How many people, including myself, have never thought of doing this when we forget out reusable bags in the car? Thanks.
Benja Schwartz
1:34 pm on Sunday, February 27, 2011
lol Thanx for reminding me, I forgot to mention what my wife does.
If I bring home the groceries in the disposable plastic or paper bags she yells at me.
Therefore I started bagging in the parking lot.
Seriously, my point is that some of us need need help to develop the habit and need loving reminders to use reusable bags.
Terri Glass
2:49 pm on Sunday, February 27, 2011
All one has to do is look along sides of Sunrise Highway to see why we need to eliminate plastic bags. What a mess.
Jerry Can
12:31 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
I never noticed. People are real slobs aren't they.
Keeper Ansley
11:10 pm on Sunday, February 27, 2011
When it comes to litter on the beach it is misleading to believe that plastic bags are the most common beach litter. The percentage of plastic bags being littered has been lowered, too.
The Ocean Conservancy’s 2007 International Costal Cleanup Report notes that among litter 8% of the items picked up were plastic bags. Bags even trailed cigarette related items at 27.2%, food wrappers at 9.6%, and caps and lids at 9.1%. This illustrates that act of littering is a problem and not the item itself. Of the 3,899,528 pounds or 7,238,201items of litter cleaned up in 2007 only 8817 pound or 587,827 bags were collected. That is only 0.002% by weight. (Note* 66.6 bags equal one pound).
- Ocean Conservancy’s 2007 International Costal Cleanup Report
April Pokorny
11:39 pm on Sunday, February 27, 2011
While plastic bags may not be the most commonly collected beach litter item by percentage or by weight, that may only be because they are prone to blowing away. The beach is usually breezier than inland areas, so the bags that might have been littered there may have blown elsewhere - especially, most dangerously for marine organisms, into the water. Once floating in the water, they are ingested by sea turtles when mistaken for their favorite food - jellyfish. A visit to Atlantis Marine World Aquarium teaches us just how harmful plastic bags (and other pieces of litter) in the ocean are.
Jerry Can
12:45 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Keeper thanks for your data. It would be a great help in this town also that we have more trash can's as well. We have none on the beaches themselves and what we have is usually overflowing. Would it not be better to impose a Five cent plastic bag fee the revenues from which could be used to pay for more garbage baskets and pick up than just ban plastic bags?
@ April maybe the fact that you don't see the bags is that they were not there in the first place?
I hear what you say about the turtle and agree that should not happen but that was the falt of the last person who had the bag in their hand or garbage can that overflowed. People need to be educated and you example is a good one. I myself fear habitat encroachment more than plastic bags.
Dana Alison
2:49 pm on Tuesday, March 1, 2011
I totally support such legislation. Let's be honest - it's human nature to be lazy and choose the simpler route. If people can't make the responsible decision to protect our beaches and wildlife, maybe someone needs to make it for them.
S.B. Bonacker
3:13 pm on Tuesday, March 1, 2011
When are they going to suggest a ban on plastic and mylar BALLOONS? They are more dangerous to marine life & wildlife when flying free in the wind, then falling into waterways or onto land. I have so often seen bunches of balloons tied to street signs announcing open houses, yard sales etc., then left abandoned long after the event has passed. People even bring them down to the beach in summer for children's parties, clambakes, picnics and then just leave them tied to a bench or trash bin expecting the town to pick them up - that is, if they are still there in the morning. Many are dislodged by the wind and are are in the water where marine life will ingest them. PLEASE BAN OUTDOOR BALLOONS IN THIS TOWN UNLESS PEOPLE AGREE AT THE TIME OF SALE TO DISPOSE OF THEM RESPONSIBLY!
Jerry Can
12:58 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
You notice them too, I'm glad I'm not alone. There are also the white plastic feminine hygiene by products that I notice a lot to. They look often like fish cartilage. Maybe we could ban these types of products being sold. The other one is the plastic soda and water bottles. I wish we could increase the deposit on these so that people would really bother recycling them.
Brendan J. O'Reilly
3:52 pm on Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Ever in a store when you buy just one thing that will fit in your pocket and the cashier bags it? A couple times when I've said "I don't need a bag," the cashier proceeded to crumple up the bag and throw it away. So frustrating! Now I say "I don't need a bag -- you can save that one for the next person.
Jerry Can
1:00 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Your right. Most stores now ask whether I need a bag or not for small item. I usually say no. I don't need them and I can't REUSE them either.
BILL MAVRO
11:31 pm on Tuesday, March 1, 2011
WE CAN'T ASK THE GOVERNMENT TO REGULATE AND REGULATE!
I believe in a cleaner environment but this "obvious" solution is not the way to go. Personally, I re-cycle what I can- My family brings re-usable bags to the supermarket- My car gets 30mpg hwy- My home and businesses use hi-efficiency lighting. But these are my PERSONAL CHOICES. I don't want them legislated. Otherwise what about-
- The new popular Range Rovers 12mpg
- Should we eliminate all the dyes in clothing and use only natural colors?
- Should we limit showers to two minutes to save water and energy?
We use a good quality plastic bag in my businesses. Most people re-use it several times- it's great to carry wet items, fish, laundry and so on. It has our advertising on it. It can't be replaced by the thin biogradeable bag because that can't hold our products and it is extremely bad looking. The re-usable bags that everyone is pushing come from China, have a great amount of dye in them (many were recalled because of lead) and use a lot of manufacturing and transportation energy.
So the solution is not as simple as it seems. We are adults and should make good personal choices for ourselves.
David D'Agostino
8:51 am on Wednesday, March 2, 2011
You are seriously taking a libertarian stance on the use of plastic bags?
Jerry Can
1:12 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
I absolutely could not say it any better. Its about people and the choices they make. I admire people who use reusable bags. My sister in law uses reusable bags.(Correction: I admire some people who use reusable bags). I REUSE my plastic bags as garbage bag. Others like them as poop bags for their pets. (and I thank you for picking up too). I'm a recycling nut too. I toss out all sorts of plastic products including wrappers on other products not just the ones the town can resell. That is the direction we should be going instead. Require our municipalities to recycle more than they do.
Gail Simons
9:46 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
In "reusing" plastic bags as garbage bags, you're ultimately still dumping them in our Earth. They're still ending up in landfills that way. That is NOT recycling.
Jerry Can
11:25 am on Thursday, March 17, 2011
GS, I'm looking at it from the perspective of avoiding the eyesore of the bags flying around and becoming a menace to nature and wildlife. Educating people to put these bags to practical purposes. By all means it they want to take them to a recycling bin that works for me too. I think you might agree that reusing them in some fashion is better than tossing them and going to the supermarket and buying more bags. But I don't hold my breath.
Sandy Martocchia
8:46 am on Wednesday, March 2, 2011
How about we just stop littering? I live along CR 48 in Greenport and the sides of the road are covered with trash. Most of what I see are drink containers, particularly coffee cups, cigarette paraphanalia, and food wrappers. Last year during final exam week, I had the misfortune of having to pick up hundreds of papers, quizzes, notes, and handouts that a certain high school student threw out the window of a car. Her name was on the papers and my husband did tell her father, but I still picked up every single piece of paper so my yard wouldn't look the old landfill.What was that old saying? Give a hoot, don't pollute.
Bob Schepps
10:06 am on Wednesday, March 2, 2011
I say bring back the poster of the Native American with a tear in his eye to ASK us to stop littering. It worked then. My business uses biodegradable plastic bags as an alternate to paper. If someone asks for plastic I allways mention that these are biodegradeable "like you and me". Its funny, conversational and not mandated by the government. The bags are twice the cost of regular plastic but the environmental awareness spin makes the investment a value. That's not libertarian its just good business without the mandate.
Brendan J. O'Reilly
10:27 am on Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Stop & Shop in Hampton Bays gives a 5-cent bag credit if you bring reusable bags or you reuse your plastic bags and paper bags. (They also have a bin for recycling your plastic bags. It's in the bottle return room.) Waldbaum's in Southampton Village gives a 2-cent bag credit. Sometimes you need to remind the cashiers to get your credit. I don't believe King Kullen in Hampton Bays gives a credit.
Bob Schepps
10:57 am on Wednesday, March 2, 2011
I use the plastic bags I get from the supermarket (when I forget my canvas bags in the car) to pick up dog poop so they are not single use to some of us. Again all great suggestions so lets keep it that way and not legislate.
David D'Agostino
11:16 am on Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Hello, Bob. It seems like we used to agree much more. There is absolutely no positive to these plastic bags (not the biodegradable ones) so they should not be used. If it takes legislation to stop folks from using them, so be it. Not all legislation is bad.
Jerry Can
1:16 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
They may not have any use to you but they do to me. Your trash is my treasure. Well not quite.
Educate don't legislate!
Brendan J. O'Reilly
10:08 am on Friday, March 11, 2011
Southampton Village has scheduled a vote to ban plastic bags: http://patch.com/A-fJwl
Roger Blaugh
10:41 am on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Brendan,
Thanks for an excellent article which has elicited many good comments. One thing that our committee learned in doing their research was that the bag recycling programs that you referred to at the Hampton Bays Stop'n Shop are a failure...over 94% of single-use bags are NOT recycled into recepticles like the ones provided at Stop'n Shop, Waldbaum's and other stores. What SAVE also learned when we visited Westport, a Connecticut town that has banned single-use shopping bags successfully for the past 2 years, is that the Stop'n Shop manager is thrilled with the change and so are residents. Stores use LESS stock area to store plastic bags, LESS labor to restock bags to checkout counters, and they sell MORE reuseable bags (99 cents each); so they can offset the costs of the bags that they provide to those who forget their own. We were amazed at the mature attitudes of young people who we saw shopping with their parents, who proudly displayed their reuseable shopping bags...no whinning there about excess legislation in Westport. Just like Southampton, Westport is a waterfront community, but they're way ahead of the this latest anti-government fad. They're responsible for what happens in their community. Excess legislation??? If we didn't have catalytic converters on our cars, would you put a paper bag over your muffler? Let's get real and get with it. The bag stops here and that's a good thing.
Roger Blaugh, Chair
SAVE Committee
Southampton Village
Jerry Can
1:52 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Mr. Blaugh, Thank you for your efforts in keeping our environment clean. Although i disagree with you I respect your concern. Because the rate of returns for recycling has been low does not mean that the stores recycling programs are ineffectual. Honestly, in light of the dispensation of plastic bags that these stores should have, we are not experiencing a whirlwind of flying plastic bags in our towns. We would see evidence of such in our trees where a great number of these bags would be expected to float to. Likewise when I was in SHV yesterday I assure you there were none to be seen blowing down our streets. Perhaps people are not recycling them because like me they use them as trash bag liners/garbage bag or poop picker uppers for their pets. or they may be tossing them away in their regular garbage. So I say that glass is half full and not otherwise.
Rah Rah Rah to the S&S manager who is generating marginal savings and profits from his reusable bag program. I wish him luck . And of course all these gleeful young people displaying their reusable shopping bags...Shame on you for pouring it on a bit thick. Waste not.
This is not about an anti-government fad. Its about a perhaps opposing a group of people who are off on their own fad attempting to impose their fad upon our community and government to satisfy their own fashionable agenda which many support in spirit but not in method. We don't need a law to achieve what people could or should achieve on their own.
Jerry Can
2:46 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Instead of letting the Southampton Village board have to vote on this we should have popular vote on the matter. We have an election in November, a referendum on this could be voted then. Additionally the referendum should be voted on by members of Southampton town at least those that live nearby (North Sea, Watermill, Tuckahoe, Shinnecock) that shop in the Village. Let the community decide as we will all be affected by this law. Let the people speak, make this a democratic process.
David D'Agostino
3:13 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The people we elect to represent us are there to make decisions on our behalf, whether we like it or not, that IS the democratic process. I hope they do the right thing and vote to ban these bags and side with sound, environmental policy over convenience.
Jerry Can
4:57 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
No DD that is not democratic that is republican. They would be making a decision for a minority that is impacting a majority. They would also be making a decision for a majority that is impacted by their decisions but that do not have the privilege to vote them in or out. What they decide for the Village has an impact on the greater community.
Gail Simons
9:48 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Jerry, DD is not saying that this is democratic vs. republican - he's saying that we live in a DEMOCRACY. In case you missed it, our country is a DEMOCRACY. Even where Republicans are in office, it's a DEMOCRACY.
Gail Simons
9:34 pm on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
When people are not choosing to do the right thing for the planet, they are taking our children's chance at a healthy future away - where is the CHOICE in that? If people can not make a "choice" to do the right thing, then the choice must be made for them by more responsible minded parties. Since when is saving our planet a debatable choice??? Our Mother Earth is speaking to us now - last year with the oil catastrohpe in the Gulf and now with the Nuclear disaster in Japan. She is telling us that these methods are killing her, killing US - there is NO choice, we must stop these ways and practice better, greener ways. I find it incomprenhensible that this is even a debate at all.
David D'Agostino
10:47 am on Thursday, March 17, 2011
Thank you, Gail. Yes, I was referring to our system of"representative" democracy in which our officials are elected by a majority vote which grants them the authority to act on our behalf. When they take advantage and act contrary to the wishes of their constituents, we have one remedy, to vote them out of office in the next election.
Plastic bags are harmful to our environment. The bad they cause far outweighs the benefits of their convenience. Get rid of them.
Jerry Can
1:08 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2011
Well DD they are inconvenient to you so by all means go for the hemp bags. But they are not to others. They are quite practical.
Jerry Can
11:33 am on Thursday, March 17, 2011
GS, I was trying to make a point with forms of democracy as in small" d" and small "r". I say lets put it to a popular direct vote by the citizens, and not elected officials, which is the indirect form of government we have in this country. I was not talking in terms or party politics. I should have been clearer, not every body understood. Because this issue is one that affects others outside the Village that shop in it regularly, I think its more democratic to include the unrepresented as well. I feel its more democratic that way.
Jerry Can
11:52 am on Thursday, March 17, 2011
GS, Debate is part of the democratic process. Its not just about voicing opinions that are popular or fashionable and expect everyone jump along yea kumbaya. People have preferences and opinions. When you put two of them together you have politics. You have your view with saving the planet I have different priorities in doing so and different means. Encouraging better choices is fine, but legislating change at the point of a fine and jail is undemocratic to me. Criminalizing people who don't share your choices is not democracy its authoritarian. I really don't want to walk around having to fear the reprimand of the reusable bag neo -whatever.
Gail Simons
12:15 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2011
If someone "spills" oil on the ground, it must be reported, must be cleaned up, and has the potential to cause serious damage. There are fines that are involved, sanctions to ensure that this doesn't happen again. There is no debate - oil is BAD, causes damage. If someone "chooses" to dump oil on the ground, they face the consequences. Is that undemocratic in your opinion, Jerry?
Same goes for plastic bags ~ they're BAD. It's not a matter of opinion, it's a fact. I'd like my children to grow up in a healthy environment, all children, and I'd like to believe that we're taking the steps necessary to ensure that there even is another generation after them. At the rate we're currently progressing at, there will be NO Earth, NO human lives, NO life left. Why is that so incomprensible to you? How can you look at any of it as an asthetic choice? You don't like the way windmills "look"? Really??? Wind power, in conjunction with solar and other methods, has the potential to rid us of our dependence on oil. So for a petty asthetic factor, you'd rather keep on keepin' on, status quo, destroying our planet?
I am, by no means, saying that we can forego all petroleum products ~ but we sure as heck can make every effort possible to elimnate the need and find green combinations that will save life on Earth.
Jerry Can
1:23 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2011
Why would anyone choose to dump oil on the ground. That is a foolish choice. If they spill oil by accident or on purpose sure they should clean it up. Volume is also important, location too, impact also. People spilling oil depends on how severe and where. Industry is held to a higher standard. Exxon was held accountable because the captain of the ship was drunk and away from deck and the company was found liable for that and the damage it caused. Exxon did not choose to flood the bay. BP chose to cut corners on safety to put its platform to work faster. It made a poor choice that created a major oil spill and killed people. It recognized its responsability. If i were to spill oil It would not be that much as to create a major catastrophic impact. Sure I should clean up as best I could. If I were to spill oil on a road or sidewalk it depends on how much again. If I walk away and something happens I suppose I would be held accountable. But in general its common sense that most people should clean it up anyway. Its like plastic bags if you purposely trow it out a litter, there are laws already to deal with that as someone stated above. But for every person that does that, how many more are more cautious or better educated?
Jerry Can
1:35 pm on Thursday, March 17, 2011
Its not that its incomprehensible to me GS, its just that I disagree. I don't think that a plastic bag from a supermarket is a threat as compared to other environmental dangers and risks. I 'm not bothered by windmills but many people are. I think they can be quite unobtrusive in certain locations. Luckily these locations are nowhere close to me...lol. There's room out east.
What you say is right you need a combo of complimentary energy resources some will be more harmful than others. Price and cost will always be a consideration. Safety is also, and should continue to be.
But plastic bags are not the enemy as some would want to impose on us. Its people that are responsible for how they manage their garbage.
Benja Schwartz
10:12 am on Friday, March 18, 2011
People dump gas because there is nowhere to dispose of it safely. America needs to make a choice. I am not talking about Obama or the Federal government, I am talking about us. Do we stand for anarchy or are we a democratic republic? I have a dream. CCA, the Civic Coalition of America. A NGO which would be responsive to, support and mobilize civic actions to support a democratic republic. The current governmental establishments are dysfunctional. The is hope but it will take a vision and walking the talk.
Back to plastic. I believe there are appropriate uses of plastic, but grocery shopping bags are not one of them. Ban the Bags!
Jerry Can
12:25 pm on Friday, March 18, 2011
BS..Try your town's sanitation/recycling center they more than likely have a hazardous waste program where once a month they have a pick up. That's what we have here in Southampton-at least they did last time i needed it. I also recommend that you use the hemp based bags as opposed to the plastic ones made in China from petroleum and other dangerous chemicals. Make sure you was your bag often so they don't develop bacteria and mold. I'll continue using my plastic bags made from natural gas that recyclable and reusable.