Macho in Frisco

This one took a few listens to appreciate. Usually a good sign.  And it seems to promote productivity. For example, look i'm blogging.

sorry, no link. you'll have to work for this one.

I despise Wal-Mart’s bags……………….

Phila. City Council Moves Toward a Full Ban of Plastic Shopping Bags

by KYW's Mike Dunn

Philadelphia is moving toward an outright ban on disposable plastic grocery store bags. A City Council committee has okayed a ban to take effect in 2011.

Shari Jackson, a representative of the petroleum industry, argued on Wednesday against a ban on plastic bags. She told Council members that the industry instead prefers to get people to recycle the bags.

Councilman Jim Kenney said that recycling efforts aren't working:

(Kenney:) "What is it you're doing? Because I don't see it. All I see is what I trip over on the curb, or what's hanging out of every tree in the neighborhood."

(Jackson:) "We are doing things, we are working with 'Keep Philadelphia Beautiful.' We are putting programs in place to discourage people from littering. We work with these types of groups all over the country."

(Kenney): "But it's not working, I'll tell you."

So, despite the industry opposition, the committee approved the plastic bag ban.

In a compromise, the bill's sponsor, Frank DiCicco, agreed to a two-year delay in the effective date, giving the industry time to switch to paper or compostable plastic bags.

With committee passage of the bag ban, DiCicco decided to shelve his separate idea of having stores charge a 25-cent fee for each bag.

The full Council is expected to vote on the ban next week.

KYW's Karin Phillips reports that some local environmental experts agree there are no perfect solutions to the "plastic bag" issue, but also agree that there could be some compromise to their use.

Dr. Scott McRobert, a biologist at St. Joseph's University, is not a big fan of plastic bags. He says not only do they take years to degrade but they are also a danger to wildlife and sea animals.

But he says there are not many alternatives -- paper bags costs more to make and transport, and kill lots of trees. So he thinks reuse is the key:

"If you're going to have plastic bags around, at least you take advantage of the fact that they do last a long time, so try to get as much use out of them as possible."

Christine Knapp of Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (or "Penn Future"), an environmental nonprofit organization based in Harrisburg, says plastic bags are a waste of natural resources and a waste or energy, and research shows that only about five percent of all plastic bags are recycled.

Knapp says one thing consumers can do is consider, twice, whether they really need a plastic bag at all:

"I've been offered more times than I can count a plastic bag when I have purchased just one item. Like a can of soda really doesn't need to be put in a bag; I can carry that in my hand. I really laugh when I get a bottle of laundry detergent that has a study handle and they put it in a flimsy plastic bag."

And Dr. Bill Miller, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Temple University, says going back to paper bags is a good option to plastic because paper bags biodegrade faster. But Miller also calls for reusing plastic bags, saying stores and supermarkets should take on the responsibility to help consumers with that option, as well as using cardboard boxes instead of bags.