[...] "Plastic pollution is surpassing crisis levels in the world's oceans, and I'm proud Seattle is leading the way and setting an example for the nation by enacting a plastic straw ban," Mami Hara, the general manager of Seattle Public Utilities, told KOMO News.
The National Park Service estimates 500 million straws are used by Americans each day.
The Seattle ban actually began with an ordinance prohibiting one-time-use food service items in 2008, but the city has allowed exemptions on certain items every year since. For example, Styrofoam food packaging was banned in 2009, according to the Seattle Times. But because of the market, plastic utensils and straws have been exempted in Seattle's ban until now, the newspaper reported.
Seattle bans plastic straws, utensils, becoming first major US city to do so
(Score: 2) by jmorris on Wednesday July 04 2018, @03:20AM (7 children)
Typical potential tyrant thinking. Anything you don't like must be forbidden and anyone disobeying your edicts shot in the head. Oh you will deny that last part but it is the only way the restaurant owners don't just pat you on your head and say "thats nice, now run along and we will get back to giving customers what they like."
But yea the abilist thing is stupid, another example of $current_year zaniness and the Revolution eating itself. WHich is why I posted it, because this entire subject is stupid, people who obsess over this sort of thing are stupid. Making fun of them is the most effective remedy.
But the fact remains that plastic straws in the West are not a problem.
Study reveals 90% of global plastic waste comes from just TEN rivers in Asia and Africa [blazingcatfur.ca]
Yea, not the primary source but once in awhile ya gotta show some love to the bloggers and aggregators who spread those primary links around. Hint: none of the ten rivers are in the New World.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 04 2018, @03:36AM (1 child)
Though it's dated yesterday, that story is old.
I want to see what the new numbers are in a year's time.
Our June 22 story:
China Just Handed the World a 111-Million-Ton Trash Problem [soylentnews.org]
(They're not accepting any more of USA's "recycling".)
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday July 05 2018, @04:13AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 04 2018, @03:57AM
(Score: 2) by SanityCheck on Wednesday July 04 2018, @06:46AM (2 children)
Allow me to introduce two pieces of relevant information.
Exhibit A:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/01/29/california-lawmakers-proposal-makes-serving-plastic-straw-without-request-crime-report-says.html [foxnews.com]
Exhibit B:
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/new-california-law-reduces-penalty-knowingly-exposing-someone-hiv-n809416 [nbcnews.com]
I want off this ride...
(Score: 2) by jmorris on Wednesday July 04 2018, @07:12AM (1 child)
There is no getting off this ride. So either go with a general purpose FTGE or go all the way and pray to your choice of SMOD or the Yellowstone Supervolcano to end this madness. Because this ends with a Kaboom of one sort or another. Sudden natural disaster triggering a collapse, 90%+ die off and rebirth of civilization is the unlikely happy scenario. Even the Trumpening can only buy a little more time to be ready. The realistic scenarios are grim and the prospects for survival are low, even a super prepper might manage 50-50 odds at best because nobody can predict which of the insane things we are doing will be the one that first breaks the system beyond repair. All four horsemen will show up in the end but it matters in what order.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 04 2018, @12:32PM
the one that first breaks the system beyond repair
AKA the last straw ;)
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday July 04 2018, @03:21PM
Just so you know - I've already talked to the karma gods. Yes, I will be a tyrant in my next life. In exchange, they demanded that I stick around this life for another 40 years or so, and watch the liberals are doing with the world.
BTW - I'll be needing a good lapdog while I'm tyranting. Want me to put a word in for you? ;^)