During a pandemic is an excellent time to do this!

" There is evidence... that reusable grocery bags, a common substitute for plastic bags, contain potentially harmful bacteria. We examine emergency room admissions related to these bacteria in the wake of the San Francisco ban. We find that ER visits spiked when the ban went into effect. Relative to other counties, ER admissions increase by at least one fourth, and deaths exhibit a similar increase."

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2196481

Anonymous wrote:If they are going to charge for bags they should make them much better quality like in Europe.

We use the plastic bags as garbage bag liners for the small bathroom garbage cans.

Regardless of how I feel about the tax, it’s been funny to see everyone up in arms over it. I shop at Aldi primarily so I’m already used to bringing reusable bags and even bagging my own groceries.

I’m in MoCo and I switched to reusable bags. I kept them in my car and bringing them into the store when I shopped became routine. Not only did the bag tax change my habits, but it changed the my mindset, as well as many other peoples’. Cashiers not only are conscientious about how they pack items so that they’re using fewer bags, but they also ask if you want a bag if you’re making a small purchase. They don’t just automatically put the greeting card you’re buying into a large plastic bag. Now I’m taken aback by the promiscuous use of plastic bags in grocery stores when I visit relatives in Ohio. There, if you purchase one tube of toothpaste and a carton of eggs, the cashier is gonna bag them separately.

Having said all that, some grocery stores in MoCo adopted a policy during Covid that if you’re bringing your own bags from home, you have to bag your groceries yourself. Now I’m back to getting new plastic bags if there’s a reason why I want help bagging my groceries.

This is just dumb.

It worked on me. I had stopped taking bags during the pandemic and then kept forgetting. The 5 cents is enough to make me remember to bring bags. The reusable ones last for years. Once you get used to them, they are so much easier to deal with.

I do feel bad for the grocery store cashiers. People are going to be yelling at them for using too many bags.

How many times does a reusable bag need to be used to offset the environmental impact to produce it? I’m genuinely asking to learn, not trying to be snarky.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC and MD have had this for years. I didn’t realize VA didn’t charge yet!

Yes, DC has had this for years and seen only increases in number of plastic bags used year after year.

Doesn't reduce bag usage, but sure makes money for DC.

Just call it what it is: another money grab.

Not true at all.

According to the Anacostia Watershed Society, the amount of plastic bags found in trash traps along the river is down 75 percent since 2010 (the year the bag tax was implemented).

This--they actually found they got way less revenue than they were expecting because people stopped using plastic bags.

The amount of tax collected on plastic bags has gone up every year, the facts are indisputable.

The amount spent on cleaning up the environment is almost nothing.

Dems can't pass up any tax

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC and MD have had this for years. I didn’t realize VA didn’t charge yet!

Yes, DC has had this for years and seen only increases in number of plastic bags used year after year.

Doesn't reduce bag usage, but sure makes money for DC.

Just call it what it is: another money grab.

Not true at all.

According to the Anacostia Watershed Society, the amount of plastic bags found in trash traps along the river is down 75 percent since 2010 (the year the bag tax was implemented).

This--they actually found they got way less revenue than they were expecting because people stopped using plastic bags.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where in va?

This is in Centreville, but the article posted identified several counties including Fairfax, Loudoun, etc.

[OP]

Not in Loudoun.

I don't mind if they charge

Anonymous wrote:Where in va?

This is in Centreville, but the article posted identified several counties including Fairfax, Loudoun, etc.

[OP]

Bags have been 25 cents at the grocery stores here in California for years. The plastic ones are the thicker ones like in Europe.

Are you f u cking kidding me? What a money grab