Discussions

I thought that was a huge no no to do with the litter? We were told it had to be bagged no loose refuse of any kind in black bins ?

Please read all the comments before you post. That issue was resolved in earlier posts, we were not aware of a rule in regards to that and were made aware, and will change what we do. This discussion as I said before is not about cat litter or garbage disposal. It is about plastic checkout bags and the petition. And to answer earlier there are plenty of options for disposing of bones that don’t involve plastic such as paper, biodegradable bags, another thing we have used to dispose of stuff is wrapping stuff in old newspapers/paper as well, or any excess plastic unrecyclable packaging from food goods that we have yet to get rid of(such as chip bags, etc.) Like I said, not everyone will agree and that’s fine, no one is forcing you to sign the petition if you don’t want to.

Maybe the petition could specify what kind of bags should be banned. Yes, single-use plastic bags that don't decompose are a huge problem, no matter how many times they are reused for different purposes before they inevitably are thrown out. BUT there are alternatives. Grocery (and other) stores can use 'disposable' bags that look and function exactly as they do now, but are biodegradable. So we don't have to change our behaviour, and we can keep using our shopping bags as kitchen catchers, soup bone bags, kitty litter bags, etc. AND they eventually decompose. Sure, they might cost a teenie bit more than these bags, but the difference wouldn't even be noticeable. People pay $.05 per bag at Superstore, and I'm sure biodegradable bags don't cost that much each.  
 
And I'm sure if someone looked into it, they would find many stores are already doing this.

I use a single use plastic bags that I get in grocery stores for garbage in my kitchen and washrooms. Kitchen garbage is thrown out everyday, and washrooms are every week. So that's 10 bags a week.  
 
That's nothing compared to what my workplace throws out daily, which would be about 30-50 daily! I mean we don't use grocery bags at work, but plastic is plastic. We buy products from stores that are in plastic, which aren't recyclable  
 
Imagine how many bags the hospital throws out!

are these bags waterproof? I don't want to end up wearing juices from bones and vegs. Where do you purchase these bags? Are they pricey?

I didn't think this would ever find it's way here, but now that it's here, I will sign.  
 
I, too, am one of the people that uses grocery bags for garbage disposal. Even at a nickel a pop, it's always just been . . . handier? Not entirely single use, either. Unlike a garbage bag.  
Filmy plastic has never been of much worth to the recycling industry, to begin with, which is another reason I've not felt too badly about trashing them.  
 
It would indeed be better if they were more biodegradable. Not just photodegradable (the sun breaks them down into smaller and smaller pieces to be blown and washed literally EVERYWHERE), but truly biodegradable. Such advances are coming, but not without flaws (often needing industrial compost facilities), and not quickly enough.  
 
Though I never have given plastic recycling all that much thought EVER, the news of the China ban put the topic on my radar recently. Particularly, the fact that I kept running into videos of plastic scrap dutifully recycled by people in western nations ending up getting dumped in Asia or Indonesia.  
 
It made me realize that the only way to be of any meaningful contribution to this problem (aside from reduction where I can. Which is NOT easy) is to not recycle plastics. I do still box everything else (paper, glass, metals), just not the plastics anymore. I decided to take that route until the west figures out how to responsibly tackle this problem.  
 
I also realized that most municipalities have been looking at this largely backwards. Heck, even recycling advocates that point a judgy finger at consumers for aspirational recycling ("I'm not sure, so in the blue bin it goes!") need to tone it down a bit.  
Consumers should not be paying a fee (refundable or not!) for disposal of materials THEY had no hand in importing to their communities. Giant companies dump increasingly complex plastic resins, plastic combinations AND material combinations into the marketplace all the time because it's cheap. They don't have to deal with the soap bottle with 4 or 5 different resins on the same container, or the coffee can with paper, plastic AND metal all fused together.  
Which SAYS it's recyclable, but as we know, that just means it CAN be recycled. Much like all of the polystyrene which still dominates meat and egg packaging (not to mention coffee lids). I don't know if ANYWHERE in North America accepts this stuff. I'm almost certain that Brandon doesn't.  
 
Either way, the plastic situation and the recycling industry, in general, is a mess. A ban on bags is a small step, but it is a step none the less. It's just nice to see this issue starting to get dealt with.

All garbage that goes into the black bins is supposed to be bagged, including feces. Im surprised you haven't got a letter from the city yet. I do appreciate your efforts though.  
 
I reuse all my grocery bags as garbage bags. If they get banned I'll just have to buy other bags.  
 
Banning straws, ridiculous packaging, Tim Hortons dumb lids, fishing nets (which make up 50% of the ocean plastic pollution), styrofoam take out, cases of bottled water, plastic plates etc would be more effective than bags which can be used more than once.  
 
Our planet is facing a crisis and I agree we need to do something.

Our northern city of Thompson banned the plastic bags a couple of years ago, lets get on board.

https://thompson.municipalwebsites.ca/Editor/images/documents/Planning%20and%20Development/Final_Brochure_bagban_COLOUR.pdf  
 
They do have some exceptions that may address some member's concerns.

I like this idea. In Europe it is the norm that you bring re-useable fabric bags to the grocery store.  
 
This is a good local initiative, but where I think much of the problem lies is our gigantic supermarket chains. For the end consumer to recycle plastics and over packaging, it must be made simple and automatic.  
 
If huge supermarket chains start refusing overpackaging from their suppliers, that's a start for the end consumer. It's ridiculous how some things are over packaged to the point where you need scissors or a utility knife to open . I also think charging a lot more for plastic bags is forthcoming. I also think a return to recyclable paper is on the forefront (you can still bag kitty litter or whatever in a sturdy paper bag).  
 
Getting rid of one-use bags is great. In the end, it comes down to the manufacturers and giant retailers like Loblaws and Sobeys to start thinking about the environment FIRST and not supporting plastic heavy manufacturers,  
 
At a local level, consumers have to start thinking an planning, which is a positive.  
 
Edited by Kellye, 2019-06-10 09:48:19

It seems like no one is worrying about it. Sorry to say that it will be banned by law sooner or later. No more plastic straws in 2021. Do you really think the government is going to allow these bags forever? Figure out a way to deal with your garbage and food saving! Many ideas in this thread to help with that.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/government-to-ban-single-use-plastics-as-early-as-2021-source-1.5168386

I'm 100% on board for the ban of plastic bags, but what the govt announced was a potential ban on single use plastic. That goes beyond plastic bags. Take straws for instance-many disabled individuals rely on them to drink....and no, metal straws don't work as they may cause injury. What about single use plastic in hospitals? Losing those may and probably will increase infection rates and medical issues. There is more to the ban than plastic bags. It really needs more study and appropriate action. Banning them is not the only way.

It is one small step to save the planet. There are many other things we need to do to improve our impact on earth.

CBC interviewed them yesterday and it really sounded like the govt has no plan whatsoever except to look into things. Seems like a feel good election issue.

I agree.  
 
Not all single-use plastics should be targeted. We just have to get this conversation started. Though there are some necessary uses for plastic, there are WAY more frivolous uses than there are necessary uses.  
 
Bans also run into problems since most of these companies will likely look for replacements to plastic for much of this stuff to meet the consumer demand. Wood is likely a good candidate. The issue with that being that timber also isn't exactly a limitless resource (even if the end product is technically more biodegradable).  
 
I would love to see what one could accomplish if they had the time to approach this problem from an entirely new angle. For example, where can we go with hemp as base material?  
 
Edited by Simonwalcal, 2019-06-11 13:50:16

Janet, can you please elaborate on a statement you made? I had never heard anyone suggest that metal straws can cause injury. How are they more dangerous than plastic ones? Having said that, I'm sure there are other 'safer' alternatives for straws rather than single use plastic. I've seen straws made from avocado pits that are totally biodegradable and I couldn't tell the difference from our good old plastic ones. Interesting to know about the problems with metal though. I have a couple (given to me) - should I be worried about letting my kids use them?

how about instead of banning this and banning that ..that you make your own choices ...we don't need a Mommy State and personally I'm sick of others telling me what I can or cannot do. I choose to reuse and recycle already but when I'm left with no options because of do-gooders dictating my life, I will now have to buy plastic garbage bags because you decided for all of Brandon that I can't make this decision on my own? WTF? Check your refrigerator first or all the Timmy's cups laying on the floor on your car before you try to save the world. They banned straws and now we're left with disgusting paper straws that taste like tongue depressors from the docs office....ohhh yummy. Even though our straws are made out of paper, most recyclers will not accept food contaminated paper products. Maybe if you do some research first on paper vs plastic you might change your minds.

Your right on one thing they wont be accepted for recycling because they are soiled...  
 
However they can decompose completely in a matter of months and supposedly 6 months in salt water. Alot better than the estimated 200+years figure thrown out there.

Thanks for taking the initiative to promote this change locally! Although it's considered an inconvenience for many, we need to think differently about single use items, plastics, textiles (the list is endless) because these amenities aren't unlimited. Some tips I've followed for replacing our dependency on plastic bags i:nclude using reusable and washable boxes/cartons/bags, stowing them in the vehicle/backpack, composting, and just buying less, which reduces the need for so many garbage bags! My family's definitely learned to consume less, and we're conscious of the impact we make when we use or throw something out. Garbage (including single-use bags) don't just disappear into thin air!

What do people take meat ho.e in when they buy it in the stores? IMO putting raw meat-packaged in plastic or not-into reusable fabric bags is disgusting. I wash my bags from time to time but if I were to use them for meat I would have to do it after every use. I know I will ontinue to find plastic bags for my meat even if the stores quit providing them.  
 
So-no bags, no plastic utensils, no straws (cardboard straws are disgusting).

As is noted in this thread, the single-use plastics issue is arguably far bigger than the average consumer's habits. There are steps that one can take, but again . . . the cheap nature of plastics ensures that arguably no one is immune.  
 
I've decided to start by eliminating plastic grocery bags in my travels over the next little while. My only annoyance is being a walking billboard for whatever store I happen to grab the bags from. So, i'm thinking I need blank (or at least, unbranded) reusable bags. Or maybe just a set of cardboard boxes.  
 
Start small.

Let's also ban single use beverage containers.

Most plastics are made from hydrocarbons, gasoline and diesel fuel are hydrocarbons, we have made the attempt to reduce the pollution from gasoline and diesel by using different processes such as catalytic converters, or in the case of Diesel engines capturing carbon and then burning it off.  
What does this have to do with single use plastic problems, well to me it is simple, do not put the plastics in landfills.  
Earlier this year research proved that solid carbon could be created from carbon dioxide gas, and this could be done a at very low temperature using a liquid catalyst.  
This might seem like an extreme solution, but compacting single use plastics, and burning them could be a better solution than getting rid of the single use plastics.  
Einstein said things are relative, what do we really gain if we move to paper products, I’ll concede that paper products can be made by recycling, or you can just cut down another tree, which is a carbon capture method in a natural way.  
Oh well, time to go to work, but please look at things from different points, sometimes there are unintended consequences.

I am not an environmentalist, but do believe that we do need to be good stewards of the earth as it was given to us.  
 
I agree that it starts with the manufacturers. They create & supply the plastic. We are left to dispose of it. Obviously that arrangement is not working out well and they seem absolved of the issue.  
 
This is bigger than plastic bags though and nobody really considers that. If you think about it, there are the water bottles, the various foams & styrofoams, plastic wraps, food packaging, shipping packaging, components in ____, furniture, vehicles, imitation things, flooring, rugs, storage sheds, appliances, microwavable containers, some farmer use plastics (twine, plastic wrap, troughs, etc.), clothing and more. Some is obvious, some is hidden. It is in virtually everything now. It is difficult to get away from. I find it ironic that the garbage & recycling bins are plastic.  
 
Did you know that the majority of clothing today is not recyclable after use as it is a mix of synthetic "cloth," will not degrade and is also dumped in poorer countries to try to deal with? They aren't appreciating that either.  
 
Butcher paper is not even wax lined anymore. It is plastic lined. If anyone finds truly *wax* lined butcher paper, I want to know where to get it.  
 
Even if something is recycled into another use...what is its end? It still exists. The problem just continues. Even if something breaks down, in its smallest form, it is most likely still harming (microplastics).  
 
A single use ban is a bandaid at best as someone stated before. It is a feel good move as we still litter with other (or "recycled") plastics without a second thought.  
 
I am trying to cut down on plastic use just because it is not healthy...for me or anyone/thing else, but considering how things are made now, and what we get accustomed to as conveniences, it is tough.

on the right side of this page. Brandon Environment retweeted Simply Recycle about using your plastic bags around the house or returning them to the store for recycling. That's what I do and will continue to do!

Perhaps, it is time that those of us that make use of these bags are able to begin our own anti-petition. I think that only viewing a collection of signatures in favour of the ban is merely having a one-sided argument, and it does not present the debate in it's entirety.  
 
My household is small, and we do not make enough waste to warrant using a bag any larger than a shopping bag. I do not want to spend money on garbage bags, often two or three times the size: it simply adds more waste. How is it any different to buy multiple garbage bags in a box than a single-use bag as needed? I would rather have the option to continue using shopping bags for my waste in my home.  
 
I agree with the individuals that reuse their shopping bags, and want to have a viable alternative before simply banning plastic bags: because really, where do you draw the line?  
 
Plastic shopping bags are only one form of litter effecting our city. I look around and see franchise paper cups, chocolate bar wrappers, cigarette packages, among a great many other items that are diminishing our environment. Should we ban them too? What about plastic water bottles? What about the batteries no one seems to want to dispose of properly?  
 
There are many, many forms of litter. And, picking one of the most useful ones to attempt to ban is hardly conducive in removing waste.  
 
Why not pick up one of those shopping bags that you want to ban, and start using it to collect the rest of the garbage littering our streets? Once our streets are clean, then maybe targeting this form of plastic may actually create the traction you desire in your petition.  
 
Until then, I really hope that this ban does not take place. There are more important things to fight for: a petition for garbage bins on street corners, or a stricter fine on littering: for instance. We shouldn't just pick one element and argue that is where we are going wrong, while so many other items are blowing around in the wind.  
 
Edited by clarkec4, 2019-06-17 10:28:55

Unless I am blind or something and didn't catch it. What is your alternative to using single use plastic bags? I understand you want to ban the grocery stores from using plastic bags but what other choices are you proposing as options? Will stores from Walmart to Home Depot to Superstore and everyone else move to only offering the purchase of multi-use plastic bags and paper bags? If you look at all the stores very few have actual cloth recycle bags. Majority are heavy plastic reinforced with some synthetic fabric of some sort.  
 
I read the comment that the plastic bag ban works in Rivers. I camped there over the weekend. We stopped at the Co-op. About 50% had the thick reusable plastic bags they purchased and the others used the brown paper bags. Funny thing to notice is I never saw large cart fulls of groceries. It was picking up odds and ends, milk and eggs type of purchase. So looking at that way it was more of a convenience store vs a full shopping list. So that means many, and I know everyone that I know live in Rivers do their major grocery shopping in Brandon. So of course a bag ban works in this case for Rivers. One hour of a single till at Walmart is probably the same amount of sales the Co-op does all day.  
 
If those are your options vs grocery bags I wanted to confirm before putting out some more data.

I’m not planning to answer every “but what about the garbage bags” question because this is about the banning of plastic checkout bags, and if you can’t see that there are other alternatives to using grocery bags for things like this than I’m sorry, you and I are just not on the same page and that’s perfectly fine. The option I would like to see is for people to bring their own reusable bags above all else. And I’m not sure how it works in Rivers but they are not the only Manitoban town to do this, Thompson, the Pas and Leaf Rapids all do not use them as well and they have existed without them for many years. However I’m not necessarily against paper as an alternative as it is biodegradable and more recyclable (as in can be broken down and turned into another paper product) and unlike plastics they will not take 100s of years to biodegrade. This is strictly a petition against disposable plastic checkout bags. I do understand that there is a TON more that needs to be changed in regards to plastic, and would love to do more in the future(and hopefully this petition inspires more to step up and initiate more change), however we have to start somewhere, I do my part in town to pick up litter when my daughter and I go on walks however all out prevention of unnecessary waste and recycling would be far more effective than not simply just keeping to the norm and expecting things to change via picking up the repetitive garbage on the street. And yes having more public garbage and recycling bins would be helpful but certainly not a cure-all to the excess garbage and waste— but definitely a good idea to help as well. I would love to solve all our big problems in the world but unfortunately I’m just one person, but as one person I’m doing what I can and choosing one thing that maybe I can help change or at least raise more awareness of. That is my point of view and many others as well, and any who disagree are more than welcome to do so.

are banned in a few years what the heck are people to use for dog poop? The city provides plastic bags for disposal now, what would be an alternative? It's certainly not good for the environment to leave crap on the streets!  
 
Still don't know what I could use for bones and cooked vegs after making soup, any ideas anyone?