David Paul Morris/Getty Images
DCL
Plastic bags are just awful. They are laziness and wastefulness made manifest. Disposable plastic bags pollute our oceans, kill marine life, waste our resources and clutter our landfills. Nearly one trillion bags are used annually worldwide. They also keep us dependent on foreign oil.
There is a movement spreading throughout the world to do away with the ubiquitous plastic bag. In Ireland, they are taxing the use of plastic bags. Australia, Thailand and China have taken strides to eliminate the plastic-bag scourge.
Why has it taken so long for Americans to get rid of their plastic bags? San Francisco, Encinitas and parts of New England have banned plastic bags in some stores. Even China has banned the plastic bag. You know, the nation everyone criticized for having poor air quality during the Olympics. If China can ditch plastic bags, we certainly should be able to.
Wanting plastic bags to go away isn't good enough. Action must be taken. We probably won't be able to convince federal lawmakers to ban plastic bags, but on a local level, we can probably force plastic bags out of our stores.
Talk to city council members, community leaders and state senators. Remember these people? You voted for them amidst the hullabaloo of voting for all the federal positions. These people are much more accessible than members of the federal house and senate, and by working with them and other members of your community, you might be able to muscle plastic bags out of your environment. Then, one day, every community will be plastic bagless.
