hunterbishop.com

In some stores in California, they have been charging for bags since the 70's believe it or not! I don't have a link on hand to verify this statement. I do have first hand memories of it.

I mentioned on PW that I thought the price should be $1.00 per plastic bag.

I think it should be up to the stores, not the government to charge (or not to charge) for bags.

My family bought a number of reusable shopping bags and are gradually getting in the habit of carrying them with us. It is a learning experience but not unwelcome. Our whole American society has some learning, and unlearning, to do and the tsunami of packaging wraps and materials is in great need of new thinking.

Yes, 25 CENTS!

when i lived in germany i paid 15 cents euro per bag. last month i went to beijing for the first time since 1988. as of june 2008, all supermarkets in china are now charging 10cents, 20cents, 50cents, and even 1RMB for different size bags (1RMB=15cents U.S.). i think if we pay 25cents per bag at the taniguchi store than we will quickly change our conscience about the environment. it's not so bad; kind of like buy things at cost U less. you just put it in cardboard boxes or use your landuary basket.
Jet heng
OIF Veteran
Candidate for County Council District 4

A reusable shopping sack of recycled platic is use all over the world. If you forget you pay.
We have enough P.E.T. to produce bags here ( producung jobs and reducing waste). CU Hawaii provides them for a small fee as do a number of businesses. WE have a couple in each car. After a while it will become a habit.

"Our whole American society has some learning, and unlearning, to do"

Thanks Rob. Good thought to remember in anything that we do.

And if you want to get an extra bang for your buck, the Puna Community Medical Center has large bags made from recycled plastic with a flat bottom and stiff bottom insert. $5 and you support our Urgent Care Facility at the same time.To order, call me at 965-2000.

I originally come from Vienna (Austria) and the environmental education has a long tradition there. You got recycling bins for every house. Even my grandmother had no problem with it.
You buy a plastic bag at the supermarket you pay big time - and people look at you like you are wasting energy. The supermarket put out the empty cardboard boxes from their products, so that people can use it. The supermarkets have less garbage to deal with and you have a box to get your stuff home. The box is produced anyway, the plastic bag at the super market isn't.

It has to be driven by the consumers, not the government. Smart consumers make smart choices.

To try to regulate this by the government is in my view not just unamerican (its even unaustrian - and were talking here about a classic social democratic country), but just a waste of time, with a government that has much bigger problems on their hands.

So bring you own jute bag, hemp bag or ask the supermarket for a box - maybe you start a new trend.