How to Ban the Plastic Bag

Towns and countries working to reduce plastic bag consumption. Interactive version available at http://bagitmovie.com/bagittown.html.

I’d love to thank our reader, NJResident, for commenting on the trailer we posted for the film Bag It and asking some questions about how one actually goes about banning the bag. At Throwaway Nation, we’re huge advocates of never seeing another single use plastic bag ever again. And we’re even huger advocates of showing people how they can make that happen in their community.

Click to read more ...

Which countries already have plastic bag bans?

Part of the Argentian campaign to reduce plastic bag usage.

We talk a lot about government overreach these days. And by “we” we mean the politicians who are somewhat ironically doing the overreaching.  But as we know, overreaching is in the eye of the beholder, and one man’s EPA is another man’s socialism. 

The thing about citizenry, though, is that we’re like water. We find the path of least resistance and take it. And that means choosing the most convenient option. For instance, a large majority of grocery shoppers know that single use disposable bags at checkout are bad for the environment, but, “Oh shucks, I left my reusable bags in the car again. What’s the big deal if I take a few bags just this once?”

Click to read more ...