On bag ordnance and throwaway culture...

I'm quite pleased to read the bag ordinance of California that is going into effect which would charge $0.10 for the use of plastic and paper bags, with penalty to retailers that attempt to circumvent the regulations by giving them away for free and build the costs of the bags into the price of the products sold.

I'm glad too, that the CA court has rejected the lawsuits of retailers and plastic industry group to try to overthrow the ruling.  As we teach our kids, every little bit of our actions count.  If it means one less plastic or paper bag going to the landfill, that means one less that needs to be made and then be thrown away.

Surely reusable bags get dirty, but that can be easily addressed by cleaning.  As to the argument that bags - plastic or paper - have become part of our culture, that we need them for other purposes (eg. all-purpose plastic bags to be reused for carrying other stuffs), I would only ask the question:  How did the past consumer generations cope, before the explosion of the use of plastic/paper bags?  And then, there's the argument that it's petty and demeaning to charge consumers $0.10 who bought $10,000 jewelry, for example.

It could take a generation or more in changing perception and behavior.  I remember when I was going up, my mom used to do grocery shopping with a big wicker carrying bag.  Hawkers in wet market would reuse all materials to sell things are loose; they would buy cutout newspapers in bulk (from kids or families who want to earn a little), then reuse newspapers to wrap eggs or fish; they they use weed rope to string up vegetables.  You should see the wet and dirty wicker basket after my mom brought out all the food; but a little rinsing goes a long way.  This was Hong Kong, circa pre-1970s.

The boom time in the 1980s coincides with the consumer culture.  There was (and still is) premium and praise in the over-packaging of Japanese goods.  Truth be told, the packaging is nice; it makes the product itself feel more precious.  There's the beautiful paper bag, lovely wrapping paper, elegant box, luscious lining, eye-catching ribbon, the works.  I have always tried to save those wrapping materials because they are so beautiful that I don't want to throw them out.  My sisters would save all the shopping bags which are quite sturdy.  In my young mind, I've never considered that as wasteful, even though subconsciously I know it is.  Most people won't even have second thoughts, and would throw them away in a heartbeat.

As I grow up, I realize how much materials, resources, and energy it takes to produce just the packaging materials.  I hate it.  Yes, it's a love-hate relationship.  I love to see/have the packaging, but I hate it that it's so wasteful, just to see people throwing them out to the landfill like junk.  (Well, after the product is opened, there isn't much purpose for the packaging anymore; so, it is indeed "junk.")

I've resolved to myself, that at least I can do something about using (or rather, not using) bags when I buy things these days.  I always bring my reusable bags with me, long before this environmental conscience has become almost fashionable and a way for people to make a statement.  Chinese supermarkets, in particular, are always intrigued when I tell them I don't want their plastic bags.

But for most people who are not conscious about this, or are simply too lazy, it takes some drastic measures to change their behavior.  This bag ordinance is perhaps long overdue.  If anyone should doubt whether or how it'll work, look no further than how it's done in Hong Kong and how people have responded.  These days, everyone has a reusable bag up their sleeves, and it's no longer considered "cheap" to not pay the tiny fee to get a new plastic bag for the goods instead which is the biggest behavioral and perception change.  The same is true in other countries like Ireland.  If we can make people use even just one bag - plastic or paper or anything else - to have one less bag going to the landfill, it's worth the effort.  At least we do our part to the environment, rather than just for our own immediate pleasure and convenience.

So, we know it can be done, and it's not too ominous for consumers and retailers alike. Sure, tourists might not be as amendable; then again, tourists are mostly a one-time thing (for the sale), but we shop for daily stuffs every single day.  If local consumers can take the lead, I'm sure everyone will follow.  To that, I salute the CA bag ordinance, and all those cities and countries before it that have implemented such regulations with such determination (to do the right thing), to measurable success.