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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday August 29 2017, @03:32PM   Printer-friendly
from the costly-takeout dept.

In an effort to reduce plastic bag pollution, Kenya has introduced tough laws that will result in a prison term of up to 4 years or a maximum of $40,000 for any Kenyan producing, selling or even using plastic bags, although initial enforcement will target manufacturers and suppliers.

"The East African nation joins more than 40 other countries that have banned, partly banned or taxed single use plastic bags, including China, France, Rwanda and Italy."

Bags can take 500-1000 years to decompose, in the mean time killing or harming wildlife and entering the human food chain.
What is being done about plastic bag pollution where you live?


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  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @05:02PM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @05:02PM (#560929)

    Ugh single use paper bags are better for combating climate change as they sequester carbon, especially if they are dump in a landfill and covered over with garbage so they don't decompose. New trees are grown to make the next batch of bags.

    You are an idiot for thinking complex environmental things are simple.

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  • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @06:10PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @06:10PM (#560979)

    Grocery stores and other shops used to use paper bags. Often they were made out of recycled paper, too. But then lefty environmentalist sorts threw a shit fit about this, so that's why plastic bags started to be used instead. "Save the trees!" and all that.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @08:11PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @08:11PM (#561087)

      The parent comment isn't trolling.

      Paper bags were eliminated from supermarkets after protests from environmentalists who objected to the consumption of trees to produce these bags.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @09:36PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @09:36PM (#561161)

        The environmentalists caused the whole plastic bag crisis by complaining about trees. Environmental Idiots.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @09:51PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 29 2017, @09:51PM (#561174)

          This is actually pretty typical for them. They often completely fail to understand economics. This causes them to completely misunderstand the costs and benefits associated with various courses of action. It doesn't matter who you are, you can't make good decisions when you don't understand the costs and the benefits involved.

    • (Score: 2) by requerdanos on Wednesday August 30 2017, @01:24AM (1 child)

      by requerdanos (5997) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday August 30 2017, @01:24AM (#561255) Journal

      "Save the trees!"

      "Save the trees" is one of the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Trees grow back. They literally grow on trees.

      Plastic, on the other hand, is mostly made from petroleum, which does not grow on trees.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 30 2017, @06:48AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 30 2017, @06:48AM (#561361)

        the "trees grow on trees" bit is funny, thank you. very fractal.