4 ms·

I figure it would be easier to make bags using plastic-like substances than paper bags, potato starch or genetically engineered bacteria oozing out some sort of

• dalke 15y ago
  Consider the full lifecycle costs. Energy required for production is easily captured in the final price. Waste CO2 emissions less so, but let's assume that some sort of so-called "carbon tax" or "carbon cap" is in place. Paper, plastic, cloth, and so on have costs. Stores choose bags because of several factors: cost, ease of storage, ability to keep the bags in stock and available at the cashier's stand, and so on. But none of these include the post-use disposal costs. The argument is that plastic bags are more egregious than other waste: the bags are light enough to be blown long distances, they clog machinery designed to remove waste, they are more visible, and so on. In other words, the points you bring up, while true, are not the major reasons for plastic bag fees or bans.