The Rio Grande International Study Center is going to survey the people (800 or so) of Laredo to see if they really want a ban on single use plastic bags.
The RGISC called for volunteers to show up at the public library yesterday evening. The volunteers would go out into the community and knock on doors and complete the survey.
Well, I wonder just how accurate a survey can be when the people taking the survey obviously are intent on banning plastic bags at any cost to the community. The volunteers are obviously in favor of the ban, or they would not show up to volunteer. And being an un-scientific survey, what value is it really to the community or the city council who will be voting on the ordinance, if it gets that far?
If the all the survey questions have not been completed, I propose a couple of questions for the citizens:
1. Are you willing to support a ban on single use plastic bags, knowing that you will now be paying for any bags that you will need to use to carry your purchased products home from the store? And knowing that the retailers will be making additional money on your purchase by selling you bags?
2. Are you willing to support a ban on other items that litter our community, like tires, construction materials, food wrappers, plastic bottles, cans, newspapers, or anything that the public might discard into the environment?
We'll see just how above board this survey is soon enough I am sure.
Tom- hmmm...good points....After living in Germany for 3 years, I got used to the cashiers looking at me, like, "Get your stuff off the conveyer belt- You're holding up the line. Oh, you forgot your basket? Your problem. Move it." :) It was a real culture shock- but at the end of the 3 years we were on the recyling band wagon along with the self-bagging. I learned to take baskets and bags to the grocery store- But, that is something that is enforced and is engrained in the culture and I recognize it would be tough to implement from scratch here. I actually still bag my own groceries out of habit...And I like going to Sam's Club and Costco because you're kind of forced to use the boxes they have or bring your own. I really dislike plastic bags but I was heartened to see a plastic bag recycling bin at a Wal-Mart!
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with anyone wanting to bring their own bags or carrying devices...what I am against is the outright ban against an object that causes no harm when properly disposed of.
ReplyDeleteThe key point here being properly disposed of. I drove to Kansas City, Mo., and back, and then back to southern Kansas in the last month. Once I get past San Antonio, the problem of litter seems to diminish drastically.
WE HAVE A LITTERING PROBLEM, not a plastic bag problem. Let's fix that, then see if a ban is really needed.