the finely-coiffed lady had just paid $129 for a pair of dkny leather pumps at the shoe company but when asked if she would like to purchase a plastic bag for a nickel, she politely replied, "no thanks." a few minutes later, an elderly gentleman at metro who had just purchased a dozen or so fruits and vegetables was asked the same question. "no thank you," was his now-familiar response. as i watched him struggle to balance his tomatoes and cucumbers in his arms, i thought to myself: what is it about the city of toronto's june 2009 by-law requiring retailers to charge 5 cents per plastic bag that causes the citizenry to behave in such an irrational manner? after all, if you can afford a pair of $129 leather pumps, then surely you can afford a 5 cent plastic bag, no? and yet it seems that the moment consumers could no longer take their plastic shopping bags for granted, everyone within city limits became a penny-pincher. hey, it's a nickel, people. get your priorities straight. besides, if you can't remember to bring your own reusable shopping bag with you to the market, then quite frankly, 5 cents is a relatively light fine to escape with.
that said, where is the equity in all this green frenzy? alright, so i suppose the measure was intended to discourage the wasteful usage of non-biodegradable plastic bags that had been clogging landfill sites for years now. but talk about fairness? what's a dog owner or condo-dwelling new parent to do? surely city council does not expect canine lovers trailing their true masters to scoop up the mess left behind by their pooches with a paper bag, do they? and what am i expected to do the next time my two-year-old leaves behind her own messy misadventure? i really have no choice but to dump her diaper down the garbage disposal chute asap before the fragrance begins to overtake the entire building. so what am i supposed to use to transport my daughter's droppings to the first floor dumpster? a sock? an empty milk carton?
oh, and the last time i checked, a plastic shopping bag can be used over and over and over again. for what it's worth.
liberal (adj)
b. favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
before emo there was goth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOHQs405XcU
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Okay, first of all, it's not about whether they can afford it or not, it's about SAVING PLASTIC BAGS FOR PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY DO NEED IT!
ReplyDeleteagain, you're being judgemental.
You're assuming that these people are cheap!
You know that is the purpose of the by-law.
They know that people will think twice about taking a plastic bag now with the whole 5cents-a-bag thing!
Yes, a plastic bag can be used over and over again.
BUT SO CAN a reusable shopping bag. SO CAN A PAPERBAG. So can a cardboard box! (NoFrills gives out boxes instead of plastic bags! They even gave out boxes before the by-law was in place)
P.S. If you haven't noticed, you can still use a paper bag to dump your daughter's diaper down the garbage chute. Two paper bags are still better than one small plastic bag.
sir, what band sang We got the beat? only a student with an IQ of like 180 could answer that, yep, bonafide genius I is.
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