2049 replies to this topic

[spanky123]

The City is not giving up on the plastic bags even though the Mayor claims that 97% of businesses no longer offer plastic bags and we are saving 17 million plastic bags from going to the landfill every year (ie about 500 bags per household in Victoria). Staff have been instructed to create a new bylaw and try again.

 

https://pub-victoria...ocumentId=49683

Edited by spanky123, 25 January 2020 - 01:44 PM.

[rmpeers]

The City is not giving up on the plastic bags even though the Mayor claims that 97% of businesses no longer offer plastic bags and we are saving 17 million plastic bags from going to the landfill every year (ie about 500 bags per household in Victoria). Staff have been instructed to create a new bylaw and try again.

https://pub-victoria...ocumentId=49683

I am warming to the idea that it's not just a matter of gross incompetence or having no idea of local government's role. My current theories:
1. It's all an elaborate "audition" for another job or (God help us) higher office.
2. It's a deliberate plan to literally p*ss away untold amounts of hard earned taxpayer dollars to punish them for owning a home.

[Bernard]

I really hate this plastic bag ban,

 

1) This is not something under the jurisdiction of municipalities

2) This is only a cynical ploy that those involved know has no useful impact.  Start with banning the use of plastic bags to sell any baked goods, meats, cheeses, or fruit and veg in the stores if you are serious about making any useful change.

3) It is a HUGE waste of CoV money that could be used for other purposes

[FogPub]

Problem with #2 above is that the first time someone got sick from tainted food (of one of those types) the city would be staring at a gargantuan and probably unwinnable lawsuit.

[Love the rock]

Lots of people brought their own bags on there own before Lisa stepped in .

It was a choice. Recently I was behind a man who presented a smelly dirty bag to a cashier to put his groceries in . The   odour coming from his over all presents was so strong I took a  step back in the line   . How sanitary is it to have fifty bags put on the counter to be filled by some poor cashier who’s dealing with the next customer’s food  too .  How sanitary  is it for  the poor guy who obviously had issues too . Apparently  according to the cashier stuff like this happens more often than people think . Big kudos to the staff at thriftys for treating this fellow with the utmost respect right down to the smile and packing his groceries. She never missed a beat .

[Bernard]

Problem with #2 above is that the first time someone got sick from tainted food (of one of those types) the city would be staring at a gargantuan and probably unwinnable lawsuit.

The lawsuit would be on the retailer and not the city.   All of those are currently sold somewhere in the city without any plastic in use.   

[Jackerbie]

Thriftys, Safeway, ad FreshCo shoppers: Sobeys plans to eliminate plastic grocery bags from all stores this year. The main brand, Sobeys, will stop providing plastic bags after Friday. Paper bags will be available for 10 cents. via https://ottawa.ctvne...riday-1.4788253

 

There are also current and planned initiatives to reduce the amount of plastic packaging, including produce bags.

[Mike K.]

Next time you're at a grocery store take a look at the interior of your shopping basket. Some of them are disgusting, with black grime and dirt caked on along the bottom and sides. And now they want to get rid of produce bags?

[sebberry]

Next time you're at a grocery store take a look at the interior of your shopping basket. Some of them are disgusting, with black grime and dirt caked on along the bottom and sides. And now they want to get rid of produce bags?

 

Yeh, those never get washed, do they? 

[gstc84]

Do you not wash your produce before you eat it / cook with it? I bring my own reusable produce bags for messy things like broccoli and herbs but otherwise just toss things in the basket and wash them when I get home. The conveyor belts at the checkouts are usually just as gross as the shopping baskets can be.

[Mike K.]

Do you not wash your produce before you eat it / cook with it? I bring my own reusable produce bags for messy things like broccoli and herbs but otherwise just toss things in the basket and wash them when I get home. The conveyor belts at the checkouts are usually just as gross as the shopping baskets can be.

 

 

I would never think of putting produce directly into those baskets or directly onto conveyer belts. Why expose them to that filth? Might as well just chuck your groceries onto the rubber mat of your car for the ride home.

[rmpeers]

Wait, so if I buy produce, what do I do? Put it straight into the (possibly filthy) basket and then onto the similarly suspect conveyor belt? I don't care if I can wash it when I get home. Why would I want to triple my chances of contamimation? There was a perfectly logical reason for those bags.

[Mike K.]

Indeed, and those bags make our society healthier, over all.

 

As these bags are filtered out for political reasons expect new measures to be implemented that will raise costs at the point of packaging/production where plastics will be forced out and shippers will require costlier replacements (like cardboard packaging and containment). This will also raise transport costs through heavier packaging and more space required for shipping.

[Nparker]

...There was a perfectly logical reason for those bags.

Logic plays no part in the plastic bag ban.

[aastra]

 

Why would I want to triple my chances of contamimation?

 

Meanwhile, every day in the news there will be some scary story re: produce contamination. So many of today's issues are bundled with contradictory messages and initiatives. The overall message seems to be: always be scared, but never be prudent. "Be scared" is an appealing message for many people. "Be sensible" is not.

 

I used to play this game myself re: checkout conveyors, putting fruit and veg directly on the belt even though I was planning to eat the stuff raw later. The checkout folks would sometimes inform me that somebody's package of raw chicken had just dripped all over the belt, etc. Yes, they make some effort to keep things half-decently clean, and yes, I was always *planning* to wash things thoroughly before consuming. But as you say, where was the sense in pressing my luck that little bit more?

[spanky123]

Thriftys, Safeway, ad FreshCo shoppers: Sobeys plans to eliminate plastic grocery bags from all stores this year. The main brand, Sobeys, will stop providing plastic bags after Friday. Paper bags will be available for 10 cents. via https://ottawa.ctvne...riday-1.4788253

 

There are also current and planned initiatives to reduce the amount of plastic packaging, including produce bags.

 

And they would all be running afoul of the Mayor's bylaw by not charging $.25 per bag.

Edited by spanky123, 29 January 2020 - 02:57 PM.

[mbjj]

What if you're buying a lot of little produce items, like brussel sprouts or a handful of bean sprouts? You can't put them into your cart loose. I'll just go get bags from the bulk aisle and bring them back for my veg. I find those plastic veggie bags quite useful around the house. I use them for tons of things.

 

I hope we're not expected to put bulk food loose into our cart....could get messy, lol.

[Nparker]

...I hope we're not expected to put bulk food loose into our cart....

Nope you'll be expected to bring in your own bags and containers. Eventually you'll arrive at the grocery store with a shopping cart full of empty containers.

[lanforod]

Nope you'll be expected to bring in your own bags and containers. Eventually you'll arrive at the grocery store with a shopping cart full of empty containers.

 

Just bring a double fistful of quinoa to the conveyor belt...

[Kikadee]

Alas and woe! How ever did your mothers and grandmothers survive shopping and dealing with produce before plastic bags came around in the1960s? Bring your totes and wash them once in a while. Adapt and overcome. Pioneer spirit what-what! You’ll live.