Quote:
Originally Posted by ree-Xi
That's kind of a bummer. I know that we re-use every single plastic bag for trash, in our small trash cans, in our cars, etc. If such a thing happens here, I will have to go buy bags just for my little trash cans.
Once you have re-used all of your little bags, you will have to either pay for new ones or buy and use those small "green" totes. Most of them are pretty small, so you'd have to get a bunch of them.
Something else mentioned in the article is recycling table scraps. What does that mean? Having a separate bag for food trash? We also re-use those little bags for that kind of trash and wrap it tight so it doesn't stink up the bigger garbage can. You can't put everything down a garbage disposal, so I would love to know what people are going to be doing with "table scaps".
Chicken bones, anyone?
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A lot of people are saying just what you did - they re-use the plastic bags to carry their lunch to work, pick up dog doo, line trash cans, etc. so now they will have to BUY the non-recyclable glad/hefty bags for those purposes.
They have also banned styrofoam containers starting in january, and come 2010 plastic to-go containers and plastic utensils.
Regarding the recycling of table scraps, I assume they mean composting. A lot of people do that here anyway, along with using rain barrells for watering plants. Even my office has a compost bin. The city just doesn't want people throwing away food in the garbage that is actually good for the earth. We also have yard waste recycling, so people can probably throw their table scraps in there if they don't want to have their own compost pile.
It has gotten very easy to recycle here now that all recyclable materials can go in one huge bin (no more sorting!), and most homes have just tiny garbage bins and big recycling cans as well as a yard waste can. Seattle has gone so far as to force single family homes to recycle, and soon fines will be imposed if the utility decides you're not recycling enough of your waste.
Seattle's mayor seems to believe the best way of forcing a change in behavior is to tax the "bad" behavior - in this case plastic and paper bags. I'm glad I only work in Seattle and live outside the city limits, because I'm sick of hearing him preach about "doing the right thing" and taking choice out of the people's hands on little things such as this when he has MUCH bigger problems he should be tending to.