ConservingNow Community Change

The Scientific American Podcast this week is reviewing whether or not plastic bag bans work.  Forcusing on the bag ban in China, the podcast considers whether or not customers are really using less bags, and more importantly, whether or not there is less plastic bag waste and pollution as a result of the bans.  "Yet, a survey by the International Packaging Assocation found that the number of plastic bags making their way into garbage had declined by 10 percent over the last year and the Chinese government claimed that supermarkets alone reduced such bag use by 66 percent—some 40 billion fewer plastic bags to get caught in trees, riverbanks or elsewhere. The ultimate hope of the Chinese authorities is for the bags that are used to be recycled."

Do bans work?  Let us know what you think!  Are they the way to reduce waste?  Or is there a more effective way to get consumers to stop using plastic bags?

For more information:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=does-banning-pl...