Banning Plastic Grocery bags has Harsh Economic Impact

[Melensdad]

LINK >>> http://www.ncpa.org/pdfs/st340.pdf

Executive Summary
Grocers and other retailers nationwide pack consumers’ purchases in plastic bags. However, a growing number of jurisdictions — including Los Angeles County, and cities such as Austin and Seattle — have banned the use of thin-film plastic bags. Other local governments, such as the Washington, D.C., city council, have implemented a per-bag tax.

In July 2011, the Los Angeles County bag ban took effect for large grocery and retail stores in some areas of the county. In January 2012, the ban took effect for smaller grocery and convenience stores. The ban did not apply to any stores in incorporated areas of Los Angeles County. The National Center for Policy Analysis conducted a survey of store managers in both areas, regarding the plastic bag ban. This study reports those results.

The purpose of the survey was to determine the effects of the ban on sales and employment at the stores affected by the ban. The study also sought
to determine if consumers changed their shopping behavior by increasing purchases at stores that could still offer plastic bags. The survey found
that following full implementation of the ban, sales increased at stores in incorporated cities compared with stores in unincorporated areas. Of these respondents to the survey affected by the ban:

■ Over a one-year period (pre- and post-bag ban), 60 percent of stores in incorporated areas reported an increase in sales averaging 9 percent.
■ Fourth-fifths of the stores in the unincorporated areas reported a decrease in sales averaging, –5.7 percent.

Examining the overall change in sales of all the stores that responded among the two groups (incorporated versus unincorporated):
■ Incorporated stores experienced an increase in sales of 3.4 percent.
■ However, unincorporated stores reported a decline in sales of –3.3 percent.​

The ban negatively affected employment at stores inside the ban area. While every store inside the ban area was forced to terminate some of its staff, not a single store outside the ban area dismissed any staff. Stores inside

A Survey on the Economic Effects of Los Angeles County’s Plastic Bag Ban
the ban area reduced their employment by more than 10 percent. Stores outside the ban area increased their employment by 2.4 percent.

The study continues at the link above.

 

[Catavenger]

They want to tax the bags . . . hmmm why isn't that surprising?
They ban them what will I put my cat shit from the litter boxes in?

 

[squerly]

They ban them what will I put my cat shit from the litter boxes in?

You can put it in a carboard box and mail it to the clowns in DC. Let them know what you think of the hard work they do.

 

[JEV]

You can put it in a carboard box and mail it to the clowns in DC. Let them know what you think of the hard work they do.

Ohhhhhh, I like that idea. Send the cat shit along with those fucking Chi-Comm rat tail bulbs that the fuckers were trying to force us to buy. Let them have the trace amounts of mercury in their offices where they are banging their interns. Serves them right for being the big ass holes that they are.

 

[Catavenger]

You can put it in a carboard box and mail it to the clowns in DC. Let them know what you think of the hard work they do.

Not worth the postage. Besides which my cat's shit is to good for those clowns..

 

[tiredretired]

One more reason that progressive liberal cesspool aka Kalifornica is going down the tubes. Pity really. Such a beautiful state, scenery wise. The people really screwed it up.

 

[mla2ofus]

One more reason that progressive liberal cesspool aka Kalifornica is going down the tubes. Pity really. Such a beautiful state, scenery wise. The people really screwed it up.

Don't mean to hijack, but when people leave cali to get away from all the craziness, wherever they move to they want to change into what they left behind. Best bumper sticker I ever saw was in Montana, near Helena. It said" Keep Montana beautiful, put a Californian on the bus".
Mike

 

[Ice Queen]

In Wales one has to pay 5p for a plastic bag or take one's own. I now do most of my major shopping in England!

 

[pirate_girl]

In Wales one has to pay 5p for a plastic bag or take one's own. I now do most of my major shopping in England!

Anita,
When Steven and I used to shop at Netto or Aldi, we had to pay for the bags AND put a pound in the trolley to shop.. of course that was years ago.
He used to tell me to save all the bags and take them along if I'd go back there..which is why I preferred Sainsbury,Tesco or Asda!

 

[tiredretired]

Don't mean to hijack, but when people leave cali to get away from all the craziness, wherever they move to they want to change into what they left behind. Best bumper sticker I ever saw was in Montana, near Helena. It said" Keep Montana beautiful, put a Californian on the bus".
Mike

Same situation here Mike, just different states. For us it is MA, CT & RI. Aka flatlanders. They are the single biggest reason for turning this state into what it is today.

 

[JEV]

Don't mean to hijack, but when people leave cali to get away from all the craziness, wherever they move to they want to change into what they left behind. Best bumper sticker I ever saw was in Montana, near Helena. It said" Keep Montana beautiful, put a Californian on the bus".
Mike

You see the same thing in big cities as the different socio-economic classes move from city center out in the the suburbs. We moved from Cleveland's European ethnic neighborhood in 1959 into a new suburban neighborhood to get away from the encroaching urban blight. Today, the blight we moved from is now blighting the suburban neighborhood we moved to back then, and its poverty is dragging down the once proud and prosperous city because of the crime it has brought in. They vote down every school and operating levy (cuz they have no money other than gubmit assistance) to where the school system is rated very low in the state, and services continue to erode due to lack of taxes to operate, exacerbated by Obamanomics further eroding the tax base as vandalized and pilfered businesses close, and the spaces remain vacant.

Yeah, let's have 4 more years of this insanity and the US will look like his homeland of Kenya or maybe Somalia. Fundamental transformation at work.

 

[loboloco]

I can remember when everyone was encouraged to change to plastic for environmental reasons. Same thing happened, except in reverse, until people got used to those pieces of plastic crap.

 

[Melensdad]

PEOPLE DIE because of Plastic Bag Bans

Apparently food borne illnesses have skyrocketed and people are actually dying because the reusable bags contain all sorts of nasty bacteria that makes people sick, and in some cases kills them.

Video from the PROPERTY & ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH CENTER >>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Hv63IKnsj64

From the Property and Environment Research Center, here’s a thought-provoking little vid about why we should all think a little more deeply about the unintended consequences of even our best intentions before we push for government fiat to make them a reality. The environmental movement in particular tends to be a big fan of forcing society to comply with what they deem to be virtuous behavior via government crackdown. The EPA is constantly justifying it’s many regulations by claiming that they’re only safeguarding the public’s health and welfare — for instance, that the costs of their clean-air regulations are trumped by the fact that they could be saving the lives of asthma-prone infants. But if saving lives is our ultimate goal, it looks like the eco-trendy set, in pushing for more plastic grocery-bag bans, may inadvertently be perpetuating a policy that could be causing a rise in food-borne illnesses. Maybe it’s actually a good idea to dispose of the materials with which we transport our raw foods — just something to think about.

 

[squerly]

That E coli sure is a pretty bacteria.

 

[FrancSevin]

I can remember when everyone was encouraged to change to plastic for environmental reasons. Same thing happened, except in reverse, until people got used to those pieces of plastic crap.

Have we forgotten the infestaions of roaches,the result of those biodegradable paper bags we brought home?

And, of course, all the trees we were saving.

In 1971 I worked for a bag making company in Chicago.. Spent 6 months under extreme pressure developing a machine to make those damn plastic ones. PITA. All because the country was going "green."

We obsoleted 13 paper bag lines to junk. Sent them to Mexico where they are likely still running.

It was supposed to be a good thing. Surprise!

The company is closed BTW. Surprised?

All that said, How does bannig plastic bags prevent stupidity on the part of the consumer?

It doesn't Surpirsed?