@sundance
Yes. They are simply following CA and NY's lead. Not surprising that they would be next. CA was first to do this. But NY wanted to top them, so implemented a fine for violation to go with theirs.
While it is understandable to want a cleaner environment, there are many, many other, better places to make the best, and most effective, change. This is a small amount of the plastic waste. Simply, very low hanging fruit. But you do have to start somewhere.
But as one Congressman pointed out, this change has been slowly being voluntarily done. Did they really need a law to enforce it and a fine? Like he said, by the time the law is enacted, most will already be doing this on their own.
I travel quite a bit and this change has been going on in other countries for quite some time.
But it is interesting to see some of these implementations and their results.
For example, a couple of years ago the CBC had an article detailing some of the confounding choices of what the government was banning and not banning and why. Like the plastic straws but not the plastic lids. But were not allowed to interfere with imported plastics. They were still allowed to manufacture plastic straws for overseas shipment due to trade allowances.
But the most perplexing one is that they were still allowed to make flexible plastic straws. But they could not be displayed openly; the store clerk had to be directly asked for them.
The BBC also did a good article a few years ago on the unintended consequences of this change with plastics. The example, they used was the shipment of food in France --especially fruits and vegetables that were normally wrapped and sealed in plastic. Now they are being packaged in cardboard. This brings its own issues. Now the food is more often damaged and spoiled. It weighs more, and it is more polluting than the plastic was. So, when considered through the whole production life-cycle, it is more costly as well.
Then there is another issue in developing countries, like India. It is simply more economically feasible for some, in the poorer parts of the country, to use the plastic or glass, refillable bottles than some of the innovative things the richer parts of the country has started to use for single-use.
There have been some good innovations as alternatives that are far better than the paper straws the USA and Canada are using. They have some slick alternatives made out of palm and banana leaves.
I was reading somewhere some time back about the issue from an environmentalist that was going over the numbers. He -- I think a guy was writing it -- was saying how many bottles were used and how many were recycled. He then stated that the un-recycled ones, therefore, ended up in the ocean. Nonsense, of course. Naturally, a lot of them do end up in the ocean, but far from all of them. It is simply an exaggeration to promote his view that was not needed. Everyone already understands the problem -- there is no need to lie about it.
But like the Congressman said, 'As much stuff as NY needs to address, do they need to make a law and fine about something that is already being done?'
Too much government interference can be bad when it is not really needed and the unintended consequences have not been fully considered.
The bottom line is plastic has become a victim of its own success.
Absolutely, recycling should be emphasized for a cleaner environment. But you have to wonder if starting with the smallest things, instead of addressing the larger ones is the best way to address the plastics pollution.
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