To Pay or Not to Pay

         You probably don't want to get me started on a rant about the chipping away at the ice flow of our freedoms and liberties, so I'll just jump over that. 

         So, in answer to the question, no, I don't support the proposal. 

         Yes, there are things we all should do to help make our world a better place—but I'm not sure local, state or federal regulations would solve the difficulty.  Besides, I'm not at all certain the problem is whether we should use paper or plastic bags; or fiber or canvas.  My most salient problem is where to find any bag that serves the purpose for which it was intended and manufactured for, adequately! 

         The grocery chains where I shop, here in Tucson, only have those flimsy plastic bags.  I think that Trader Joe's does still give you a choice of paper or plastic, but their paper bags are a little smaller, a heavier weight and have handles.

         There was a discount grocery store that charged ten or fifteen cents for over-sized, heavy plastic bags – but they are no longer in this area.  (And even they didn't last more than two or three shopping trips.) 

         Most of the chain groceries also sell these woven fiber shopping bags for a dollar or two apiece.  The fiber bags I bought only lasted three or four times (at most), before they shredded and split along the seams.

I also see some canvas ones for sale for four or five dollar each.  Now, that might not seem like a lot, but I don't buy huge amounts of groceries at a time, and I easily come home with ten or twelve bags. 

         Besides, there are some things I'd prefer to have packaged in paper bags.  I'm talking about the good, old-fashioned brown paper ones.  There are also things I'd prefer to be packaged for transport in plastic.  The reality of life is meat packages leak; occasionally, jars crack or eggs break; and for some unknown reason, the tops of cleaning products are often not screwed on tight.

         I don't want to transport fresh meats and produce in contaminated bags.  And, it might just be me, but I have enough laundry to do without adding a weekly load of grocery bags.  Equally, I'm sick and tired of buying heavy duty plastic bags and woven fiber bags that stretch and tear the first time you try to reuse them! 

         The average family might easily have twenty to thirty plastic grocery bags per shopping trip.  Even assuming those canvas bags hold twice as much as the plastic ones, that's ten to fifteen bags.  And, that is a big chunk of change!  In fact, that more than equals my weekly budget for food, paper products and cleaning supplies. 

         For argument's sake, let's say these canvas bags last two, three or even three months. That still means that the average family could be spending a minimum of approximately $150.00 a year on bags alone. 

         When looked at from that perspective, ten or fifteen cents a bag doesn't seem like much of an outlay.  But oh what precedents it could set!  Do you want to be charged extra for your fast food cartons, dry cleaning bags or shipping cartons? 

         Be careful of that first tiny step!



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