Recycle plastic? Fantastic.
In recent years, a number of countries and U.S. cities have moved to curtail the use of disposable plastic bags. The hundreds of billions of bags used annually worldwide cause environmental mischief. Marine animals mistake them for food and then suffocate or starve to death. Sea turtles mistake them for jellyfish, their primary food source. In 2002, a whale that washed ashore on a Normandy beach had an 800-kilogram knot of plastic in its stomach.Chicago Ald. Margaret Laurino (39th) and Edward Burke (14th) have sponsored an ordinance that would require chains with five or more large stores%26#8212;at least 5,000 square feet%26#8212;to have easily accessible recycling bins for their bags. The stores would be required to sell reusable bags, such as cloth sacks. Many grocery chains already do this. The ordinance sounds reasonable and is preferable to a city ban on plastic bags. Most grocery stores sell reusable bags for a nominal fee%26#8212;often $1. Options abound at various prices: canvas, linen, bamboo, lightweight nylon.
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Sunday, February 24th, 2008 at 9:44 pm under