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Plastic Bags R.I.P
So the environmentalist movement rolls on. Now the shopper’s friend – the plastic bag has been blown artistically by the wind into the eco-warriors’ sniper rifle target.
As a recent article in the Vancouver Sun highlights, they do look a little unsightly when they get stuck in trees. However, considering that plastic bags are surely one of the lesser contributors to global warming, I can’t help but think this is another example of picking off the low hanging environmentally-damaging fruit.
Not one for Jeremy Clarkson’s outfit.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m down with tackling environmental concerns. I’m also pretty up for getting rid of plastic bags as they just clog up one of my cupboards. I just think that it’s a small drop in the ocean. To coin a phrase from Tesco, I appreciate every little helps but I just not sure whether the net benefits of the total eradication of plastic bags are really that worthwhile when compared to other action we could be taken (i.e. the total prohibition of 4X4s and SUVs in London).
This issue has been getting a lot of press recently, since Modbury, a town in Devon became the first place in the UK to ban plastic bags. This has led to a swath of local councils and boroughs putting the wheels in motion to follow suit. As with everything in the World, this movement now has a website (or 10,000) to document the challenge and the changes. They’ve actually made quite a cool google map flagging where the changes may occur, and they are plentiful!
I just have concerns around the practicality of this plan…what about the big monthly shop? Am I expected to carry 10 re-useable bags with me to the shops? If that’s the case, what about those people who can’t afford to buy 10 re-useable bags? Is this well-meaning campaign driven by the ever-expanding middle classes without consideration for those that could really do without paying the extra cash and have more imminent concerns about survival than global warming?
Moreover, what about those transactions that I didn’t intend to carry out? This whole concept of re-useable bags means I’ll have to carry one round on me at all times or I’ll have to plan my consumerism with military precision. The fact is, now that consumerism has weaseled it’s way into the very centre of our being, impulsive spending and purchases happen daily – how does this new plastic bagless World deal with spontaneity?
The issue’s managed to get picked up on the radar of the Manifesto Club, which is held at my old local, The Old Queen’s Head in Islington. Now when I saw this advertised in Timeout I snorted and chortled a little bit in that I just had this image of really scene meeeeeddddddddia types sitting around in berets and ponchos saying “plastic bags are bad, ya? We should TOTAL like tell them to fuck off”. The irony of people who are sore fashion victims arguing that we should get rid of plastic bags because of the wastefulness and their impact on the environment whilst sitting in their couture outfits is of galactic proportions. It is just wanky posturing. However, once I got past the idea of gucci-wearing TV producers trying to change the World, I actually mentally applauded Manifesto Club. It’s about time that the apathetic 20-35 electorate was mobilised. Do we want to continue sitting around whilst greybearded baby boomers drain the Earth of all that is great and good? I for one don’t.
Just to finish this piece with some lulz, here are some websites I found giving people ideas of what to do with plastics bags:
- Plastic Bag Bras
- Plastic Bag Jackets
- Plastic Bag Coasters (I lol’d hard at this one!)
- Plastic Bag Jesus Creepers (I lol’d even harder at these beauties!)
[...] bags, the great enemy of the environment (check out our article questioning the focus on plastic bags – which has since been supported by this Times article) are to [...]