[colechristensen]

The plastic bag "tax" means I use the same number of pastic bags bug now I pay an extra few nickles when I go to the store and the bags I use and dispose of contain much more plastic than they did previously. I don't know who won there but it isn't me, the environment, or the retailer.

[hellotomyrars]

Why not just bring your own?

Like, serious question. I didn't do it until I had to but I can fit more crap in my own bags, and they're not going to break on me when I carry them up the stairs. Its kind of just better.

[colechristensen]

Because I don't want to have a collection of wadded up bags with me at all times? I don't know ahead of time how many bags I might need. Bags always seem to get dirty in one way or another.

The amount of carbon dioxide I exhale from being a living human while shopping is roughly the same as the shopping bags would emit if I burned them when I got home from the store. (which is much much less than if I drive even a short distance to the store)

The plastic in the supply chain getting things to the store is of ridiculously larger magnitude.

I reuse a fraction of the bags I get for various extra jobs usually revolving around waste or odds and ends uses which I otherwise would have to purchase bags for specifically.

In short, bringing my own bags is usually more of a hassle (though I do on occasion for one reason or another) and by every metric I can think of, not using disposable plastic bags is a meaningless gesture.

[bradlys]

Confused - are you saying that you go to the grocery store on an impulse and those impulses are never from home? (Where one would store the bags) And maybe you’re saying you just walk to the store - you don’t own a car or live very close - so you couldn’t even store the bags anywhere that would be convenient for use?

I’d understand if that’s the viewpoint but this sounds a bit contrived. I find bringing my bags is same or less effort as dealing with the ones I have to get rid of at the end of the trip plus the tax included. And I hate throwing away things that are single use when I could easily use something that doesn’t have that lifecycle.

[SilverRed]

Australia has the same thing for over a decade. From what I see, the vast majority of people bring their bags back to the store to use again.

[_yoqn]

Exactly. True experience: two weeks ago I was in a Target in Florida and got a plastic bag with my purchase, just a normal grocery store grade bag. One week ago I went to a Target in Burbank and paid for a plastic bag with my purchase. This thing was some sort of fancy heavy-duty tote.

The bigger problem is attempting to modify behavior through an open market by way of legislation. As opposed to using legislation to prevent damaging behavior directly.