gracefool

The photo above shows the marketing campaign for plastic bag alternatives that confronted me, directly inside the doors at my local Countdown supermarket. It raises an obvious question: if these bags are being replaced for free, do they really have less environmental impact than plastic ones? Common sense reasons that since they’re selling for a dollar with a low profit margin, as opposed to given away free, the cost is far higher - at least a hundred times higher. Indeed common sense based on prices is supported by the experts. Using less plastic looks good, like you're doing something helpful - but you're probably not. Usually, contrary to the common belief, going out of your way to use less plastic bags is bad for the environment: 1. Plastic pollution is not a significant problem in countries with good waste disposal. 2. A UK government study showed that in order for one of those cotton carry bags to have less environmental impact than plastic bags, it has to be used 131 ...