HeraldNet: More on the bag debate



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Eco Geek

July 29, 2008

More on the bag debate

Posted at 10:43 am

It’s another rainy day in the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re working in your kitchen, the idea of schlepping out back to the compost pile may not be so appealing.

Here’s another option: biodegradable compost bags. BioBag USA makes ultra-thin, three-gallon bags from corn. They decompose in as little as 10 days. The idea is to stick one under your kitchen sink, fill it with coffee grinds, eggshells, fruit peel and other compost-able materials, then toss it in the compost pile.

The company also makes bags for yard debris, dog waste and litter boxes. Packs of 25 bags cost about $5 on the company’s Web site.

Here’s another news note on the bag front: Seattle’s city council has ruled that plastic bags will cost shoppers 20 cents each in grocery checkout lines beginning in January.

This topic has always sparked lots of debate. Critics of bag-less grocery stores argue that the bags are useful for a variety of household purposes, including picking up dog waste (instead of purchasing yet another pack of plastic bags designed for that purpose) or using as liners for small trash cans. There’s also an argument that leaky packages of meat or seafood need plastic bags in order to stay sanitary.

Advocates of plastic bag bans say it’s a relatively easy way to cut down on waste that clogs streams, rivers and oceans.

Now, for anyone who’s ever stopped for groceries in Seattle, the debate will cost money.

Is 20 cents too much? Should the bags go for 10 cents? Three cents? Free?

What do you think?

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