At least our toys made here are not contaminated with lead: wait we don't manufacture anything in Washington state.... opps!

don't worry - after the collapse of our economy, china won't ship us any more plastic bags.

I want to go to war with China.

Parts of India and Ireland have also banned plastic bags.

Nuke the sons of bitches!!! They are with the terrorists!!

it is a drop in the bucket compared to the damage they have done, but it is a good sign.

Also, That is what I love about the commies. If the decide no more bags, they just shut down the factory. Boom!

Washington state lags behind China on this because we are a democracy. If there existed broad consensus about this, it would happen. In a command economy, it's easier to make decisions like banning plastic bags. This won't happen here unless there is a severe culture shift because most suburbanites obviously don't want anyone telling them what kind of bag to use at the grocery store.

can some one explain this? i use the plastic bags for garbage, they fit in the can and are free. if they go away, won't we then buy plastic garbage bags? is the Hefty lobby behind this?

Ask those 20,000 people if China's better. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to get rid of those bags too, but it's just not that simple.

Germany (and the surrounding European nations) provide plastic bags at their stores, but you are required to pay for them. A lot of people bring their own cloth bags or plastic crates when they go shopping. I think that would be a good start for this country... I did notice when I stopped at WalMart yesterday that they are now selling cloth shopping bags, and stores like Aldi and Ikea encourage you to bring your own bag by charging a fee for their bags as well.

@8, If you recycle your paper, plastic, and cans, and compost your organic trash, you won't have a need for that many garbage bags. You could also use paper, which is biodegradable...

Better yet, don't ask them. If they complain, they'll probably be arrested and harvested for organs.

What was the point of this thread, again?

@9 agreed. something like a plastic bag ban is an easy gesture that'll garner a lot of press, but I'm more worried about pollution that causes serious health and environmental problems - not just filling landfills and causing unsightly trash.

Now, if China banned personal motor vehicles, I'd be impressed. Disgusted with their lack of respect for individual rights, but impressed nonetheless.

So China is kicking our ass in the meaningless gesture department. How are they coming along on greenhouse gases, then?

In the 3rd world, plastic bags choke rivers and are literally disfiguring the landscape.

The other guilty party is plastic water bottles- but no one has figured out a work around for this.

Seems to me a deposit on glass, aluminum and plastic beverage containers - like many states have had since the 1970s - could have a much more substantial waste-reduction effect. Aluminum, in particular, is endlessly recyclable but uses vast quantities of electricity to produce from raw materials.

They ban plastic bags, but the USA bans pit bulls AND hand held cell phones in cars (but not hands free, natch). That, plus our symboltastic 25' smoking ban puts us far ahead of anybody when it comes to meaningless gestures.

I believe it was Jared Diamond who made the point in Collapse that, as bad as China is, with their government it would be much easier for them to make drastic overhauls in policy and stop or reverse some of the environmental devestation going on there than it would be for us with all our process and checks and balances and debate and lobbyists and whatnot. Obviously there are many problems with their government, but it is easier for them to get things done should they choose to.

@14 Drink tap water. You're welcome society.

@18 - I don't think that really works in the 3rd world. For everyone in the U.S., Europe, etc., yeah.

Grocery bags are so dull. Hip Seattle should put a tax on disposable coffee cups. My coffee stays warmer in my travel mug anyways.

It's easy to do what you want in the govt when you aren't going to have to run in an election. Ever.

@12, Plastic bags are more than unsightly, they are a real threat to marine life. Like all plastic that ends up in the oceans, they get broken down into smaller and smaller bits of plastic by wave action, releasing toxic dyes, and getting eaten by sea life. Plastic has now entered the food chain. Large amounts of plastic has been found in all kinds of fish and birds. This is indigestible and may block intestinal tracts. Also, what happens when this stuff actually starts to degrade in god knows how long? No one really knows what toxic chemicals the myriad types of plastic out there will become.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/08/10/plastic_bags/

I agree - Drink Tap Water (stick it in the fridge overnight to gas out) and use your own personal water bottle. That has more impact.

And just say no to bags you don't need - or make sure you recycle them if you get them.

@19 cuz all the 3rd world people are drinking evian?

This is nonsensical. Find something serious to cry about.

@ 25: That attitude is exactly why the US bans Pitbulls and not plastic bags.

oh, and we do make toys in Washington state. quite a few firms here, actually.

20,000 people employed by one factory?! That's a fuckload of plastic bags.

SF banned plastic bags as well, but with enough caveats to the rule where I don't know when I'll even notice the difference.

Ironically, I see those pink plastic bags you can only get in Chinese markets everywhere.

We should charge 5 cents per bag like some place... same goes for paper coffee cups at big chains.

You guys know that while there is a ban on plastic bags in China... nothing has changed, right?

When you go to the store, you still get as many bags as you want. For free.