4 ms·

How many plastic coated “reusable” bags that are in everyone’s closet, car, and boat were imported during the same period? These cloth / plastic / bags are full

How many plastic coated “reusable” bags that are in everyone’s closet, car, and boat were imported during the same period? These cloth / plastic / bags are full of evil chemical dyes and surfactants from manufacturing in India !

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
macintux 3y ago
Still seems like a shift from single-use (well, often double-use) plastic bags to multiple-reuse bags is a net win. I know I use my reusable grocery bags for all sorts of activities.
- ajsnigrutin 3y ago
  This depends. Sometimes the reusable ones have so much more plastic, that you would need to use it a 100+ times to make it worth it, while at the same time, they last maybe 10, 20 uses, before the handle snaps or something.
  - tomtheelder 3y ago
    I feel like cotton canvas ones should be the thing we move toward. No plastic, and they last for so long. Never had one wear out before.
    - ajsnigrutin 3y ago
      https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/13/world/reusable-grocery-bags-cotton-plastic-scn/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/13/world/reusable-grocery-ba... > According to one eye-popping estimate, a cotton bag should be used at least 7,100 times to make it a truly environmentally friendly alternative to a conventional plastic bag.
      - da768 3y ago
        Only if said plastic bags are used as trash bags and incinerated.
      - tomtheelder 3y ago
        Yeah I've never been a fan of that study. They take a bunch of categories where the bags basically all have negligible impact regardless of material (ozone depletion, ionizing radiation, etc) and compare them on those without using a particularly reasonable weighting scheme. And in all those categories, none of them really have anything to do with the actual reasons we want to move away from plastic bags (terrestrial and oceanic plastic waste, microplastics in water sources, etc). I guess I think it just sort of misses the point. It's like if they were to say "oh we should keep burning fossil fuels instead of solar because solar uses 1000x more land" but then didn't mention or compare CO2 emission.
    - positr0n 3y ago
      Cotton bags must be used 7100 times to be less environmentally impactful than single use thin plastic bags. Organic cotton bags 20,000 times. Source: https://www2.mst.dk/udgiv/publications/2018/02/978-87-93614-73-4.pdf https://www2.mst.dk/udgiv/publications/2018/02/978-87-93614-... (First time I've posted hoping I'm wrong and get down voted and yelled at for spreading FUD, haha. But I've seen this figure a lot)
      - oftenwrong 3y ago
        I think that is possible. My mother has had the same cotton canvas grocery bags for ~40 years. They are faded from washing, but are still strong, and she still uses them. The other advantage is that cotton bags do not shed as many microplastics (the thread is almost always synthetic). Many of the "re-usable" woven plastic bags I've acquired in recent years are of extremely poor quality. I have had to re-stitch many of them, and some had to be discarded after a very short service life.
        positr0n 3y ago
        I agree, certainly possible if you are diligent. Most people are not though, for various reasons, most commonly not caring enough. Plastic bag legislatures should keep that in mind if they want to do more than pass a feel good law.
      - tomtheelder 3y ago
        I responded to a sibling comment, but basically I think that study sort of misses the point. The reason to move away from plastic bags is due to plastic waste and microplastics, and the study doesn't touch on that really at all. Their analysis is based on stuff like ozone depletion, eutrophication, resource depletion, and other things that just aren't really meaningfully impacted by shopping bag material choice. I don't think it's FUD exactly, I think it's just a bit of a weird analysis that focuses on the wrong things.
- superkuh 3y ago
  I use the disposable plastic bags as insulation for the windows in my apartment. I use them for trash bin bags. I use them for catching the hair when I save. Etc, etc. I'd be sad to see them go but find it very doubtful they'll ever be banned in my US state.
- seagulls 3y ago
  > Still seems like a shift from single-use (well, often double-use) plastic bags to multiple-reuse bags is a net win. Is this based on your feelings/sentiment, or do you have some hard data to back up this baseless assumption?
ajsnigrutin 3y ago
Also, how many more trash bags were sold in the meantime? I used to never buy trashbags until the random bans and charges, and now I have to buy them.
- da768 3y ago
  Same, though the "biodegradable" plastic bags stores tended to use lately would end up completely teared apart after a single use. Also it seems like every store around only has non machine-washable reusable bags. Any meat or vegetable leaks in there and they'll quickly become disgusting.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

macintux 3y ago

Still seems like a shift from single-use (well, often double-use) plastic bags to multiple-reuse bags is a net win. I know I use my reusable grocery bags for all sorts of activities.

ajsnigrutin 3y ago
This depends. Sometimes the reusable ones have so much more plastic, that you would need to use it a 100+ times to make it worth it, while at the same time, they last maybe 10, 20 uses, before the handle snaps or something.
- tomtheelder 3y ago
  I feel like cotton canvas ones should be the thing we move toward. No plastic, and they last for so long. Never had one wear out before.
  - ajsnigrutin 3y ago
    https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/13/world/reusable-grocery-bags-cotton-plastic-scn/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/13/world/reusable-grocery-ba... > According to one eye-popping estimate, a cotton bag should be used at least 7,100 times to make it a truly environmentally friendly alternative to a conventional plastic bag.
    - da768 3y ago
      Only if said plastic bags are used as trash bags and incinerated.
    - tomtheelder 3y ago
      Yeah I've never been a fan of that study. They take a bunch of categories where the bags basically all have negligible impact regardless of material (ozone depletion, ionizing radiation, etc) and compare them on those without using a particularly reasonable weighting scheme. And in all those categories, none of them really have anything to do with the actual reasons we want to move away from plastic bags (terrestrial and oceanic plastic waste, microplastics in water sources, etc). I guess I think it just sort of misses the point. It's like if they were to say "oh we should keep burning fossil fuels instead of solar because solar uses 1000x more land" but then didn't mention or compare CO2 emission.
  - positr0n 3y ago
    Cotton bags must be used 7100 times to be less environmentally impactful than single use thin plastic bags. Organic cotton bags 20,000 times. Source: https://www2.mst.dk/udgiv/publications/2018/02/978-87-93614-73-4.pdf https://www2.mst.dk/udgiv/publications/2018/02/978-87-93614-... (First time I've posted hoping I'm wrong and get down voted and yelled at for spreading FUD, haha. But I've seen this figure a lot)
    - oftenwrong 3y ago
      I think that is possible. My mother has had the same cotton canvas grocery bags for ~40 years. They are faded from washing, but are still strong, and she still uses them. The other advantage is that cotton bags do not shed as many microplastics (the thread is almost always synthetic). Many of the "re-usable" woven plastic bags I've acquired in recent years are of extremely poor quality. I have had to re-stitch many of them, and some had to be discarded after a very short service life.
      - positr0n 3y ago
        I agree, certainly possible if you are diligent. Most people are not though, for various reasons, most commonly not caring enough. Plastic bag legislatures should keep that in mind if they want to do more than pass a feel good law.
    - tomtheelder 3y ago
      I responded to a sibling comment, but basically I think that study sort of misses the point. The reason to move away from plastic bags is due to plastic waste and microplastics, and the study doesn't touch on that really at all. Their analysis is based on stuff like ozone depletion, eutrophication, resource depletion, and other things that just aren't really meaningfully impacted by shopping bag material choice. I don't think it's FUD exactly, I think it's just a bit of a weird analysis that focuses on the wrong things.
superkuh 3y ago
I use the disposable plastic bags as insulation for the windows in my apartment. I use them for trash bin bags. I use them for catching the hair when I save. Etc, etc. I'd be sad to see them go but find it very doubtful they'll ever be banned in my US state.
seagulls 3y ago
> Still seems like a shift from single-use (well, often double-use) plastic bags to multiple-reuse bags is a net win. Is this based on your feelings/sentiment, or do you have some hard data to back up this baseless assumption?

ajsnigrutin 3y ago

Also, how many more trash bags were sold in the meantime? I used to never buy trashbags until the random bans and charges, and now I have to buy them.

da768 3y ago
Same, though the "biodegradable" plastic bags stores tended to use lately would end up completely teared apart after a single use. Also it seems like every store around only has non machine-washable reusable bags. Any meat or vegetable leaks in there and they'll quickly become disgusting.