Not paper or plastic anymore?

The idea of completely eliminating the use of all plastic as well as all paper bags in the state of California’s shops is absolutely absurd! You cannot possibly expect for all the shops in California that use paper or plastic bags to package their items, to make the ridiculous switch to using strictly recyclable bags. The big grocery store companies, food franchises, and department stores may be able to afford to make the switch and give away free recyclable bags with a purchase, but all the local or small businesses cannot afford to give away these bags, which mean they much sell them.  From a consumers view the shopper will either have to remember to bring their own bags, which Americans are very forgetful, or add buying bags when they got out to their everyday expenses.

There is a considerable difference between the effects that plastic bags have on the environment as opposed to the paper ones. Plastic bags are harsh to the ecosystem and take up space in landfills, also they take decades to biodegrade so you acquire a mass number of them. On the other hand it takes a paper bag only one to five months to biodegrade. So why can businesses not use just paper bags? Why does it have to be only the recyclable bags they are permitted to use?

 What is anyone or business going to gain by just using recyclable bags? They are only going to be another stash of things in people’s houses that they will take up space or they will forget about them altogether. What about if someone decides to go shopping while they are out and about and they don’t have any of their recyclable bags with them?  They may have a stash at their home, but they will have to buy a new one each time this happens. Then they have to many bags for their needs and the recyclable bags will still end up in the landfills.

If eventually everything is going to end up in the landfills anyway so why should we as consumers spend more for something that we prefer not to have? Most people don’t mind getting paper bags and they find it a bit annoying as well as hassle to remember to bring their recyclable bags every time they go out shopping anywhere. Switching the state to recyclable bags is not going to make things easier for any party, but more complicated for each. You are still going to find people leaving trash throughout the streets. It just seems to many, like an unneeded switch, and time and resources that could be better used elsewhere.