So it seems we can live in a society where all sorts of dodgy behaviours are acceptable, but don’t you dare take your groceries home from the supermarket in a plastic bag.
I have embraced recycling and my family might even suggest I am verging on recruitment to the Recycling Police, but the absurdity of this initiative from our major supermarkets leaves me mystified. I can’t take home my complete shop in a plastic bag but I can buy all sorts of products all wrapped in plastic and I can still put my bananas or apples or capsicums in the plastic bags provided for that purpose.
Obviously there are degrees of plasticity that I am not aware of that allows for this seemingly double standard. If I had a home chemistry kit, I could perhaps discover the differences between the various supermarket plastics, which might explain why some are still OK and others have been banished. I have actually noticed that more and more fresh produce is pre-packed in plastic.
This begs the question: what is the point of banning the bags but not all the other plastic in the store? A store that still sells plastic cups, cutlery and plates and a dozen other similar items. This isn’t only a double standard, it is Mick Jagger-size lip service.
While I am sure it will make an impact of some kind on landfill, I think it sends a very mixed message. I wish I had shares in the company that manufactures the polypropylene bags now used as I, like many others I have seen, have been forced to buy quite a few recently due to forgetfulness and the quantity of my shopping.
The bags are made of a more user friendly plastic substance but it is plastic nevertheless, and – from what I have read – comes with similar baggage. The fact that it is reusable is a plus, but don’t be surprised if someone finds its dirty polypropylene secret sometime soon.
Strikes me this could be a case of six of one problem and half a dozen of another. I think we will eventually discover that the more non-degradable plastic in all of this is the smile on the faces of those people selling us – sorry, telling us – this is good for the planet.
