The Idiocy Of Plastic Bag Bans
There's often this notion that we have to just "Doooo something!"

To some, motion is progress -- like the motion to ban plastic bags from being given out at grocery stores and other businesses, which has happened where I live.

Julian Morris, Vice President Of Research, Reason Foundation, writes at ABQJournal that plastic bag bans are not the panacea they're thought to be for environmental ills:

Over 200 municipalities in the United States, including two in New Mexico - Santa Fe and Silver City - have banned the distribution of lightweight plastic shopping bags. Proponents of these bag bans claim they will reduce litter and protect the marine environment, diminish our consumption of resources and emissions of greenhouse gases, reduce waste and save taxpayers' money.

Unfortunately, for those who see banning plastic grocery bags as a panacea, a recent report for the Reason Foundation shows that all these claims are false.

Authoritative studies show that plastic bags constitute less than 1 percent of visible litter in U.S. cities. The presence of plastic bags in trees and on the ground signifies that a community has a litter problem. The appropriate response is to reduce and ameliorate that problem through education and other initiatives - not to ban plastic bags.

Members of some pressure groups claim that plastic bags kill large numbers of marine animals. Even for bags distributed in coastal cities, that claim is simply false.

As David Santillo, a senior biologist with Greenpeace, told The Times of London: "It's very unlikely that many animals are killed by plastic bags. The evidence shows just the opposite ... . On a global basis, plastic bags aren't an issue."

Because they are so strong and light, plastic shopping bags can actually reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.

In short (because of the realities of the bag bans and the actual rate of reuse of plastic bags, among other things):

Banning lightweight plastic bags likely increases energy use, water use and emissions of greenhouse gases, but does not substantially reduce waste or litter, or the cost of associated municipal waste and litter collection.

Advocates of banning plastic grocery bags, while perhaps well-intentioned, are actually harming the environment, raising consumer costs and reducing personal freedom.

What does this bag ban mean for me? Sometimes that I buy less that I would have, if I've forgotten to take a bag in my purse and there's too much to carry.

Like businesses in California need one more hardship. Good job, idiot legislators!