Should the
YES
from members:
U.S. ban plastic
grocery bags?
Robert A. Downie
Harrisburg, PA
Unless there is a
law passed where
consumers must
recycle. Too many
plastic bags are ending up in landfills.
The city of San Francisco recently
became the first American municipality to ban plastic bags from large
stores. Under the legislation, large
supermarkets and drugstores will
not be allowed to offer plastic bags
made from petroleum products.
Supporters of the law say the ban will
save 450,000 gallons of oil a year and
point out that many foreign cities
and countries have already
implemented similar legis-
lation. Opponents argue
that plastic bags are
recyclable and economical, save trees
and keep many
thousands of
Americans
employed.
What do
you think?
Miriam Peters
Wahiawa, HI
Disposal is a
problem if plastic
bags are not
recycled properly.
JUPITER IMAGES
Carol Kuntz
Prospect, KY
Paper is also
recyclable and does
not use oil. The U.S.
needs to be less
dependent on oil.
NO
from members:
Janet Gooding
Uniondale, NY
It is more convenient
to carry plastic bags,
and paper bags are
not strong enough to
carry the load.
Tae Kim
Port Orchard, WA
If we ban plastic bags
more trees will get
cut down to make
paper. Plastic can be
easily recycled.
Find out more about this topic on the Web:
• www.earthresource.org
• www.plasticbagrecycling.org
• www.sierraclub.org/bags/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_bags
• www.plasticbag.com
16 The Costco Connection JUN LYE22000077
Cheryl Desjardins
Albuquerque, NM
Plastic is recyclable and
should be retained. Are our
forests not a precious commodity? How long does it
take to grow a tree?
