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France says no to plastic bags.
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paul w
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Oct 12, 2005, 07:28 PM
 
http://www.lefigaro.fr/societe/20051...10.html?075619

The translation: they hate our freedom to buy non biodegradable platics bags there. And since they don't use paper bags either, this means: use your own or use the non-biodegrable ones (ie made from corn starch).

I think this is pretty cool. Naturally someone here will point out why it's not. So go ahead.
     
sminch
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Oct 12, 2005, 07:33 PM
 
anyone got any stats on how many plastic bags we go through annually? gotta be thousands of tonnes of the damn things...

sminch
     
Diggory Laycock
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Oct 12, 2005, 07:42 PM
 
     
PacHead
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Oct 12, 2005, 08:00 PM
 
Originally Posted by paul w
I think this is pretty cool. Naturally someone here will point out why it's not. So go ahead.
I think the French™ are extremely silly. Are they going to carry their baguettes on their heads ?


In Paris, about 3 million cars enter the capital daily, and the resulting smog that engulfs the city causes health problems like asthma and chronic coughing, filling emergency rooms with people suffering from bronchial ailments. The French tourist industry is becoming worried that visitors to Paris will depart with memories of clogged streets, hazy skies, and pictures of the Eiffel Tower shrouded in smoke. France is also the biggest emitter of dioxins in Europe. To control its air pollution problem, the French Environment and Energy Control Agency (ADEME) is attempting to equip the country with a monitoring system that meets the requirements of the national Air Pollution Act.

http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Atm.../mapFrance.htm
     
paul w  (op)
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Oct 12, 2005, 08:29 PM
 
Originally Posted by PacHead
I think the French™ are extremely silly. Are they going to carry their baguettes on their heads ?


In Paris, about 3 million cars enter the capital daily, and the resulting smog that engulfs the city causes health problems like asthma and chronic coughing, filling emergency rooms with people suffering from bronchial ailments. The French tourist industry is becoming worried that visitors to Paris will depart with memories of clogged streets, hazy skies, and pictures of the Eiffel Tower shrouded in smoke. France is also the biggest emitter of dioxins in Europe. To control its air pollution problem, the French Environment and Energy Control Agency (ADEME) is attempting to equip the country with a monitoring system that meets the requirements of the national Air Pollution Act.

http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Atm.../mapFrance.htm
Um, they don't use plastic bags for baguettes.

And that website is god awful.


It's about plastic bags.
     
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Oct 12, 2005, 08:36 PM
 
I applaud the French. A step in the right direction, but still a long way to go.

(and I use cloth bags when shopping at the supermarket - have done so for years)
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Kevin
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Oct 12, 2005, 09:56 PM
 
I reuse my plastic bags all the time.
     
Mastrap
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Oct 12, 2005, 10:05 PM
 
Our local supermarket supplies cardboard boxes for free and charges for plastic bags.
     
sminch
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Oct 12, 2005, 10:42 PM
 
my local supermarket makes you carry everything home balanced on the end of a bagette whilst a plastic bag full of smog is tied over your head.

allez!

sminch
     
CRASH HARDDRIVE
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Oct 12, 2005, 10:45 PM
 
My local supermaket bags every single item in its own seperate plastic bag. If it's a cold storage item, it's double-bagged.
     
Tesseract
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Oct 12, 2005, 10:51 PM
 
I wish the US would do the same thing.
Because paper bags are better.
(Except for the new-fangled 'thin' paper bags that tear easily.)
     
PacHead
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Oct 13, 2005, 12:28 AM
 
Originally Posted by Tesseract
I wish the US would do the same thing.
Because paper bags are better.
(Except for the new-fangled 'thin' paper bags that tear easily.)
You're joking right ? They used to have paper bags where I live about 15-20 years ago. There were no plastic bags in supermarkets at that time. They sucked and they didn't have any handles on them. I'm glad they stopped using those crappy bags a long time ago.
     
Tesseract
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Oct 13, 2005, 12:34 AM
 
I'm talking about good paper bags with handles. They'll hold twice as much as a plastic bag in terms of both size and strength. They're easier to reuse too - I find it hard to come up with uses for a plastic grocery bag, while the paper ones are quite versatile as a garbage bag, for storage, or as an impomptu tote bag.
     
Sage
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Oct 13, 2005, 12:46 AM
 
Au contraire, I find plastic bags infinitely more “reusable” than paper bags – I use plastic bags to carry my gym towel and running clothes and running shoes, to wrap spillable snacks in, as garbage can liners (there are only round garbage cans in this house – plastic bags won’t exactly work for that ), to carry stuff in, etc. On the other hand, I honestly can’t remember the last time I reused a paper bag.
     
Tesseract
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Oct 13, 2005, 12:48 AM
 
OK, then stores should at least start asking, "Paper or plastic?" again.
     
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Oct 13, 2005, 12:57 AM
 
I reuse plastic bags all the time. They are thrown out when the cannot hold anything anymore. Paper bags are nearly a single use item. Talk about waste.

I had two plastic engineering classes in college. People would be amazed what the world would be like without it. Probably half the world's population would be dead. And that's just in the develpoed world.

"That said", I hate Meijer plastic bags. Too thin and always on the edge of splitting their seams at the bottom.
     
bad_quote
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Oct 13, 2005, 01:06 AM
 
Why not just use cloth bags? That's what I do, supplemented with plastic bags I reuse as much as possible.
     
PacHead
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Oct 13, 2005, 01:13 AM
 
The plastic bags I get in the supermarket are always reused. I use them as garbage bags. Why buy those black hefty bags at the store, when I get other plastic bags for free ? I remember when I visited Scandinavia and bought a whole lot of food at the supermarket. They'd ask you how many bags you need and they'd charge you for every single bag.
     
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Oct 13, 2005, 01:16 AM
 
My coop has a card and everytime you reuse a bag you get a stamp on this card. Once you have 100 stamps you get $10 worth of groceries.
     
Demonhood
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Oct 13, 2005, 01:26 AM
 

France says "No Merci"
     
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Oct 13, 2005, 01:29 AM
 
Originally Posted by bad_quote
Why not just use cloth bags? That's what I do, supplemented with plastic bags I reuse as much as possible.
Because I take the bags to work and they can pick up grease stains. I don't want to drag aroud a greasy cloth bag. For things that don't go to the factory floor I use a backpack that is left in my locker in the locker room

Remember, the entire world doesn't have to do things the way you do. some of use have different situations we deal with. It would be rediculous of you to assume that everyone should do things like you do them.
     
JoshuaZ
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Oct 13, 2005, 01:33 AM
 
I see a lot of people here in Japan bring their own cloth bags to the grocery store. Probably because the grocery store gives you like two bags for a cart full of stuff.
     
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Oct 23, 2005, 03:39 PM
 
Originally Posted by Demonhood

France says "No Merci"
I saw this and remembered this post.

     
wdlove
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Oct 23, 2005, 04:18 PM
 
At our local market we use the paper bag and plastic. Like others try to reuse the plastic bag. Recycle the paper bag.

At Costco we use some large cloth bags and boxes that they provide.

"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense." Winston Churchill
     
rickey939
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Oct 23, 2005, 04:22 PM
 
I hand carry everything.
     
Diggory Laycock
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Oct 23, 2005, 05:26 PM
 
Many supermarkets in the UK offer (for a small fee) a "bag for life" - http://www.freesearch.co.uk/dictionary/bag-for-life - which is a stronger, more attractive bag that you keep and take back each time you go shopping. If it fails they replace it for you and recycle it.

It's always fun using the wrong supermarket's bag.

Edit - hmm...

I didn't realise that some bags are bio-degradable.
http://www.tesco.com/everylittlehelp...ail.htm#wardpb
     
Scandalous Ion Cannon
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Oct 23, 2005, 05:29 PM
 
Originally Posted by paul w
The translation: they hate our freedom to buy non biodegradable platics bags there. And since they don't use paper bags either, this means: use your own or use the non-biodegrable ones (ie made from corn starch).
More they hate America for the freedom bit eh
WHAT FREEDOMS DOES THE US HAVE THE THE REST OF EUROPE AND CANADA IS MISSING OUT ON?
"That's okay, I'd like to keep it on manual control for a while."
     
Pendergast
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Oct 23, 2005, 05:44 PM
 
Originally Posted by PacHead
I think the French™ are extremely silly. Are they going to carry their baguettes on their heads ?
You may not be aware of it, but the French carry the baguette under their armpits, which shows how one thing can be used both as food and deodorant.

Clever bastards.
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Spliffdaddy
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Oct 23, 2005, 05:48 PM
 
well it ain't working
     
paul w  (op)
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Oct 23, 2005, 05:55 PM
 
hey sure took you long enough. I was starting to get worried.
     
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Oct 23, 2005, 06:04 PM
 
"Ah there is nothing like the smell of France-bashing® in the morning.."



cheers

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frates
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Oct 23, 2005, 06:26 PM
 
Originally Posted by Pendergast
You may not be aware of it, but the French carry the baguette under their armpits [...]
True, a baguette in a plastic bag is an heresy. It removes all of the crustiness in less than an hour and makes it unedible for anyone with a little taste.
     
Pendergast
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Oct 23, 2005, 06:39 PM
 
Originally Posted by frates
True, a baguette in a plastic bag is an heresy. It removes all of the crustiness in less than an hour and makes it unedible for anyone with a little taste.
So true.

Glad you did not bite to the joke there...
"Criticism is a misconception: we must read not to understand others but to understand ourselves.”

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frates
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Oct 23, 2005, 06:52 PM
 
I'm getting used to that, so my brain is just reading through the lines, picking words that make sense.

Great exercise to browse macnn and stay healthy !
     
Andy8
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Oct 23, 2005, 07:21 PM
 
Taiwan stopped giving out plastic bags in supermarkets and some retail outlets about 2 years ago. You now must bring your own bag (most are cloth) or pay for a plastic bag if it is required.

We have started a similar program now in Hong Kong also, but I wish they would take it a step further and just ban plastic bags completely from the retail sector, and have clear garbage bags liek they do in Japan so everyone can make sure your recycling what you are supposed to.
     
slugslugslug
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Oct 23, 2005, 07:23 PM
 
I thought they carried the baguettes balance on the brake cable housing of their bicycles..

I used to get paper at the grocery store and try to skip bags altogether at convenience stores. Now I get as much plastic as I can, for picking up dog poop.

(..which I do just as a hobby, of course )
     
MindFad
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Oct 23, 2005, 07:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by Demonhood

France says "No Merci"
     
Gankdawg
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Oct 23, 2005, 07:37 PM
 
Originally Posted by CRASH HARDDRIVE
My local supermaket bags every single item in its own seperate plastic bag. If it's a cold storage item, it's double-bagged.



We reuse ours too. We carry lunches to work/picnics/etc and use them for trash bags.
     
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Oct 23, 2005, 07:53 PM
 
One thing that has always cracked me up are these "boutique" markets that put your stuff in a plastic bag INSIDE a paper bag with handles...I just don't get it.

Whenever I buy something, if I can deal without a bag, I'll tell the clerk, "That's ok. I don't need a bag". They just kind of look at me like I just slaughtered half the store with a bottle cap. Evidently, everyone requires a bag for a DVD or a magazine and I'm just on crack.
     
paul w  (op)
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Oct 23, 2005, 08:35 PM
 
Plus in Europe you are almost always the one doing the bagging. Here I have a hard time stopping myself from stepping in and just bagging the items myself-when there's someone there to do that very task.
     
Pendergast
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Oct 23, 2005, 08:43 PM
 
Originally Posted by slugslugslug
Now I get as much plastic as I can, for picking up dog poop.

(..which I do just as a hobby, of course )
I wonder what archaeologists of the future will say about all those plastic wrapped pieces of s***.

I can't imagine the PhD on that topic...
"Criticism is a misconception: we must read not to understand others but to understand ourselves.”

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Weyland-Yutani
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Oct 23, 2005, 09:55 PM
 
Originally Posted by paul w
Plus in Europe you are almost always the one doing the bagging. Here I have a hard time stopping myself from stepping in and just bagging the items myself-when there's someone there to do that very task.
Yes almost. Not in Spain though. They bag everything for you before you can even blink

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paul w  (op)
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Oct 23, 2005, 10:20 PM
 
that wasn't my experience.
     
Weyland-Yutani
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Oct 23, 2005, 10:29 PM
 
Originally Posted by paul w
that wasn't my experience.


Well, that is the way it is at my local Mercadona.

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dcmacdaddy
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Oct 23, 2005, 11:45 PM
 
Originally Posted by bad_quote
Why not just use cloth bags? That's what I do, supplemented with plastic bags I reuse as much as possible.
I got myself a couple canvas sacks at Trader Joe's years ago. I use them all the time. Occassionally I will not bring all my bags in with me and buy more than I can carry. I'll take it home in a paperbag which is good for recycling newspapers--I can fill it up and empty it 5 or 6 time before the paper bag gets so crapped up it needs to be recycled.

The fundamental premise of resource conservation is reduce/re-use/recycle. It seems the French are leaning too heavily towards the first. How do they do on re-using bags as well as recycling existing bags. It seems like an awfully one-sided solution to the problem of resource conservation.
One should never stop striving for clarity of thought and precision of expression.
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JoshuaZ
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Oct 24, 2005, 12:49 AM
 
Originally Posted by Andy8
We have started a similar program now in Hong Kong also, but I wish they would take it a step further and just ban plastic bags completely from the retail sector, and have clear garbage bags liek they do in Japan so everyone can make sure your recycling what you are supposed to.
Oddly enough no one cares abotu my garbage here.... which is good because sometimes random bits escape my notice and get seperated wrong.

I have a friend on an island that had a giant fold out map of how to recycle. Something like almost 30 different ways to seperate things out. She`s going insane. Probably from natto.
     
paul w  (op)
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Oct 24, 2005, 01:16 AM
 
Originally Posted by JoshuaZ
Oddly enough no one cares abotu my garbage here.... which is good because sometimes random bits escape my notice and get seperated wrong.

I have a friend on an island that had a giant fold out map of how to recycle. Something like almost 30 different ways to seperate things out. She`s going insane. Probably from natto.
gai-jin wa natto ga wakarimasen
     
Seb G
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Oct 24, 2005, 06:42 AM
 
Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy
The fundamental premise of resource conservation is reduce/re-use/recycle. It seems the French are leaning too heavily towards the first.
Should that not be
1. reduce
2. if that doesn't work, re-use
3. if all else fails, recycle?

If I can get by without packaging, I do - why not carry an unpackaged turnip through town if it only takes two minutes to get from the veggie shop to home?

Contrary to now-popular belief, recycling paper and plastic uses up energy and is worse than re-using packaging or avoiding it alltogether. Excessive packaging, even though it is marked as recyclable, isn't environmentally sound.
     
ShotgunEd
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Oct 24, 2005, 07:29 AM
 
Every shop i buy from wants to bag everything.

I always say, no thanks, i don't need a bag and they look at me like I've two heads.

I have a tesco bag for life and if i forget it, i always try to take the plastic bags back to the shop the next time I'm there.

We have a cupboard full of bags and we really bloody try.
     
villalobos
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Oct 24, 2005, 07:46 AM
 
Originally Posted by paul w
Plus in Europe you are almost always the one doing the bagging. Here I have a hard time stopping myself from stepping in and just bagging the items myself-when there's someone there to do that very task.
Don't get me started on that.... damn lazy people who can't bag their own stuff....
     
 
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