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Wednesday, 24 October 2007
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Bernard Salt presents a compelling case against green 'eco-friendly' shopping bags as he points out that they are not biodegradable and they are manufactured in countries that do not have the same stringent environmental requirements as our biodegradeable plastic bag manufacturers have to comply with.
Going green means forever
Herald Sun, Bernard Salt, October 23, 2007
OVER the past few years, I have watched those insipid green "eco-friendly" shopping bags replace plastic bags in Australian supermarkets. I am not a fan of green shopping bags. I realise this is a bold view; after all, how can anyone defend the merits of a plastic bag over a recyclable bag?
Well, I can and do defend the social pariah of the 21st century, the plastic bag. But the plastic bag I defend is not the miscreant conventional plastic bag, it is its charming, witty and urbane cousin -- the much under-rated, bio-degradable plastic bag. I think the green lobby has bluffed the community into a flawed pattern of behaviour regarding the use of shopping bags.
Australians have embraced green bags in the not-unreasonable expectation that they are making a modest contribution to the environment.
However, there is an argument to say that this behaviour has actually resulted in a net diminution in environmental quality.
But, before I explain how this works, let me outline the facts regarding plastic and green shopping bags. Plastic bags come in conventional and bio-degradable varieties: the former take decades to break down; the latter can break down within 12 months. That Australia needs to reduce its use of conventional plastic bags is not in question.
However, I say this requires a seismic shift in consumer behaviour that could be made easier, and far more effective, if our plastic bag "habit" shifted from the conventional to the bio-degradable variety. But, rather than push down the bio-degradable path, soon after the turn of the century we morphed in the direction of green bags. What South Yarra mum could ignore a plea from a cute green bag with a smiley face that promises to save the planet?
But these green bags are made from polypropylene, which is a by-product of oil refining; they do not break down. Ever!
What should be the rational response from the environmentally enlightened when faced with a choice of shopping bags? One product, the bio-degradable plastic bag, breaks down within 12 months. The other product, the polypropylene green bag, does not break down, ever. Which option makes the greatest net contribution to the global environment?
Ahh, but there's a twist: the breakdown model comes from a mongrel background: it's called a "plastic bag" even though this variety is bio-degradable. The non-breakdown model, on the other hand, has a purer heritage: it's dyed green; it looks like it's made from a woven material and it doesn't make a nasty crinkly sound when its scrunched.
The polypropylene green bag doesn't look or sound like a plastic bag, therefore it must be good for the environment. No need to ask any probing questions about its environmental credentials. And because we all love the environment, we think contentedly that at 99 cents a pop: "I'm doing my bit to help the environment."
Continue reading at herald sun
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