Beverly Spicer

13 Responses to “Whole Foods to quit plastic bags. need I say more? ”

1. 1 doug in Colorado Feb 18th, 2008 at 5:21 pm

   Says you.

   Actually you need to say less.

   Who gave you dictatorship over paper versus plastic, or anything else? It’s a free country, and you, personally, have no mandate to make that decision for the rest of us.

   Plastic bags allow folks to carry more things in fewer trips from the car to the kitchen as you can slip more of them onto your hands, versus holding one larger and more awkward paper bag, which is more likely to tear and spill the contents.

   Focus on your own darn family and don’t try to make decisions for the rest of us until you sort out your own sorry life and can either walk on water or get 51% of the vote.

2. 2 doug in Colorado Feb 18th, 2008 at 5:34 pm

   Not brave enough to publish my comment, are you? Typical liberal.

   I’m not a troll, I’m a retired chemical engineer with arthritis, and I’ve written to Whole Foods to complain that the switch to all paper is contrary to my interests and needs, and will no longer shop in their store. There are two sides to the issue, but you only want to preach your own gospel and pretend it’s the righteous truth.

3. 3 Beverly Spicer Feb 18th, 2008 at 8:31 pm

   Dear Doug in Colorado,

   Thank you for your comments, which help to illuminate the debate and discussion about Whole Food’s decision. I read recently that the city of San Francisco has also banned plastic bags, but I do not know if that was just in the grocery stores or elsewhere. It is an interesting decision, sure to spawn a lot of opinion from all quarters. I feel grateful we can have a forum — any forum at all — for such discussions.

4. 4 Camellia Feb 19th, 2008 at 12:36 pm

   There is opportunity for even greater freedom of choice in the type of bags you choose to use. Several grocery stores encourage customers to bring their own bags (any type they choose). Some even offer incentives such as a five cent refund per bag brought in. One could bring their own plastic bags to any grocer if they prefer. They’re lightweight, add minimal bulk, and can withstand mulitple uses.

   I choose to bring in cloth bags with shoulder straps which enable me to carry the most at one time. In addition, they are easy to wash and long lasting.

5. 5 david hays Feb 21st, 2008 at 4:13 pm

   I can’t say too much one way or the other, paper or plastic both have their advantages and disadvantages. As fo Whole Food’s decision, it doesn’t bother me, there are none in my city, I have only seen them mentioned on Martha Stewart’s TV show, so I figured they were a NYC store.
   I would suggest that if anyone continues to use either they should provide a means to recycle them as Wal*Mart does with plastic bags. Our community recycling (curbside) does not accept cardboard, and likely not paper bags, nor do they accept plastic bags or foam containers. We need more recycling avenues of these containers–paper plastic-foam, etc. Our citywide curbside has recently started accepting plastic containers other than #1 or #2, at least.

6. 6 Ace in Honolulu Feb 22nd, 2008 at 5:32 am

   The whole “paper vs. plastic” arguement is one which will never be solved to anyone’s satisfaction.

   When I worked as a grocery sacker in Kansas a couple of decades ago, when our local supermarket chain was introducing and promoting the use of plastic sacks the “incentive” to use them ranged anywhere from their strength & convenience to their cost effectiveness to their recyclability & preservation of trees. Initially we requested of the customer to state his/her preference, later we were instructed to “suggest” the use of plastic automatically and resort to paper bags only when the customer insisted upon them. In each case, WE GAVE CUSTOMERS AN OPTION! After living in Hawaii for a few years, the “phase out” of paper began with the introduction of “shrunk” paper bags which had no capacity value to speak of; later they were phased out entirely, to everyone’s dismay — NOW Honolulu is talking about “banning” the use of plastic bags and bring paper back… didn’t we just go down this road once before already?

   WHAT IS SO WRONG WITH OFFERING CONSUMERS A “CHOICE”? Each has certain advantages — ESPECIALLY if you’re operating “two-wheeled” vehicles (handle bars could support a couple of looped plastic bags, while the floor board of a motorscooter or the straddle bar of a bicycle are well suited for supporting paper bags, and such vehicles equipped with baskets offer expanded flexibility). But even as each has its particular advantage, they also have their particular disadvantages, mainly with regard to their impact on the Environment.

   It’s the classic win/win, win/lose, lose/lose scenario — there are no right or easy answers. The simplest solution would be to just let the people make their own choice and set up drop-off points to encourage the recycling of both products. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s the best we can come up with until we invent teleportation booths.

7. 7 Lesley Feb 24th, 2008 at 9:23 am

   The bottom line is that whether you choose to use paper or plastic, there needs to be an easy way to recycle them. Instead of focusing on the front end (whether the store offers one or another), they need to focus on the back end - how to promote recycling. I believe that most people want to do something that is better for our environment, but our public officials need to step up to the plate and enforce the means to do so. Just saying…

8. 8 Charlie Stover Feb 25th, 2008 at 10:04 am

   I like Camellia’s solution. Doesn’t require the use of trees or crude oil. Doesn’t contaminate the environment. Doesn’t even clutter the environment for the first few years, until it wears out. Doesn’t hurt the fingers to carry. Doesn’t fall apart when it gets wet. Does require the use of laundry detergent (what natural resource might that deplete?), water and whatever fuel powers your electric supply. You do have to guess at how many you will need on any given trip to the store. I suspect that some kinds of stores (not grocery) won’t allow you to carry them around inside, or that they will give you suspicious looks if you do carry them inside.

9. 9 sam Feb 26th, 2008 at 12:56 am

   paper bags were made of waste pulp. that is pulp wood that is still in use , the bad part is the waste pulp is dumped whereas it was once used for bags.now whales dolphins turtles etc. die from consumption of the plastic bags that resemble jellyfish.environuts foretold the benifits of plastic bags yet woodcutting has not slowed nor has the turn to plastic bags slowed the cutting of pine trees.instead the excess pulp is dumped in the local water source.bring back paper bags.my cat loves them and they are more sturdy.

10. 10 Chris Feb 27th, 2008 at 2:32 am

    Lesley:

    I just think people are lazy. I’ve lived in fairly “eco-friendly” areas, and people still get lazy about recycling. Ecological change is (sadly) generally forced so that way it’s not a decision at the individual level.

11. 11 Dana Feb 27th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

    Dear Doug

    Bring your own cloth type bags. No, in fact, you do not NEED plastic bags. The bags at Trader Joe’s for example work just as well as plastic for stuffing things into, and do not create the waste. You cast one oiption as the only option, and of course you know that is bad science.

    Dan

    PS: And geez, some civility would be nice.

12. 12 Michele Feb 28th, 2008 at 4:19 pm

    Here in Canada, there is talk of charging customer for using plastic bags so we are encourage to bring out own bags which by the way has the best of both world when it comes to plastic vs paper. They are square on the bottom so they stay put and have handle to carry easily but the best argument to use the cloth bags is that 5 bags will carry a weeks worth of supplies for a family of 4 vs to 15 of the plastic kind.

13. 13 Margaux Feb 29th, 2008 at 11:51 pm

    Most of the time, I carry my own reusable bags to the grocery store rather than use paper or plastic. The clerks usually look at me as though I am some sort of lunatic and often have a difficult time trying to figure out how to place groceries in the bags I provide. Consequently, I bag my own groceries. What I have learned from my conversion to reusable packaging is that most people I encounter are really unconcerned with the environment. It is great to tout “Earth Day” and recycle a few items but when it comes to putting ideas into practice, Americans really do not. As a nation, we like our convenient paper and plastic bags- which come at a greater expense than we care to acknowledge. Ace correctly pointed out that there are no easy solutions. However, there is hope for the future when WalMart carries organic items and promotes reusable bags.

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