14 September 2008

Getting Rid of Plastic Bags?

| Ged
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Over the years, I have read many articles in the local press about the need to get rid of plastic bags from society.

But, have you ever noticed that the local Chronicle, in all its editions, delivers 140,000 free copies per week all over the ACT, each copy protected in a plastic bag? Do the maths, and that’s about SEVEN MILLION plastic bags that this newspaper throws onto the streets of the ACT and Queanbeyan every single year.

The big brother of the Chronicle, the Canberra Times, is sold mainly through retail outlets, but a certain percentage is home-delivered in similar plastic bags to the Chronicle. It would be fair to estimate that this news organisation is responsible for at least TEN MILLION plastic bags in the ACT each year.

Sadly, you can’t even re-use them as garbage bags (too small and the wrong shape).

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I recently moved from Conder to Macgregor and I can tell you that in Conder they just roll the newspaper up and place it in the letterbox. But in Macgregor it is put in the plastic.

So that being said and reading other comments of others not getting plastic coverings SEVEN MILLION is not a likely figure, and you should probably go work for the ABS.

With 116,842 household dwellings in the ACT delivered each week it only amounts to just 6million. You could say that only half get plastic bags bringing your 7 million figure down by 4mil to 3 million plastic bags a year.

There’s bigger problems than this and I think everyone should stop trying to have a go at the chronicle – this only happened last week on riotact…

There are 116,842 household dwellings, lets say 75% of these dwellings do there weekly shopping without having enviro greenbags. On average you would have 12 shopping bags (taking into account the average for small to large families) 12 bags (which are larger then the chronicle bags) times by 87,632 is 1,051,584 plastic bags A WEEK bringing it to
54,682,368 A YEAR!

Plus if a perecentage of the chronicles are being sold in the shops then they wouldn’t have the plastic cover, now would they? And WHERE did your 10million figure come from? I hope you carbon offset the use of wasting everyones time reading your stupid rant.

What a pointless thread.

Wide Boy Jake5:28 pm 14 Sep 08

I think the author of this post deserves a good bagging.

Ged said :

I agree — it is littering. I live in the inner city area, and I have noticed that half of the Chronicles do not even get read. They lie around for weeks on the footpaths, turning yellow and mouldy until someone clears them up once in a while.

It’s interesting that the Chronicle is placed in letter boxes in Ngunnuwal — the same as your mail. You wouldn’t want your mail wrapped in a plastic bag and slung onto your front yard, would you?

I merely raise this issue as food for thought — that there are an extra few million plastic bags out there that we could do without.

Ahh yes, to be in the top 3% of the world’s population in terms of wealth. What terrifying problems we face.

Loquaciousness4:17 pm 14 Sep 08

bubzie said :

..i have to walk 3 miles, through the snow and rain, to get to the local shops, where i can hopefully get a copy there..

Back when I were a wee lad, we ‘ad to get up an ‘our afore we went to bed, and then ‘ad to lick the road clean … with our tongues! And that were only if we was lucky!

But you say that to the young people of today, they wouldnae believe you …

L

At least you even GET a chronicle..

..i have to walk 3 miles, through the snow and rain, to get to the local shops, where i can hopefully get a copy there..

and a couple of years ago in highschool (so, realy, not that long ago, haha), i delievered the chronicle..and we never had plastic things!!!

but yeesh, just recycle them!

Loquaciousness2:21 pm 14 Sep 08

Ged said :

Aurelius — are you stalking me?

No, I think he’s flirting with you …

L

Reuse them as sandwich bags, bags to keep a wet umbrella in your bag after it’s rained- there are heaps of options!

I totally agree that it a complete waste but do what you can to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Aurelius — are you stalking me?

How can you worry about such things when there are Herman’s Hermit impersonators on the loose??

I agree — it is littering. I live in the inner city area, and I have noticed that half of the Chronicles do not even get read. They lie around for weeks on the footpaths, turning yellow and mouldy until someone clears them up once in a while.

It’s interesting that the Chronicle is placed in letter boxes in Ngunnuwal — the same as your mail. You wouldn’t want your mail wrapped in a plastic bag and slung onto your front yard, would you?

I merely raise this issue as food for thought — that there are an extra few million plastic bags out there that we could do without.

Here in Tuggeranong the Chronicle is hurled from a passing motor-vehicle, and is wrapped in plastic. Because it is hurled from a passing motor-vehicle, they generally end up somewhere in the front garden, or on the footpath, or in a bush, or in the gutter, or in etc etc. How is this not littering? If I drove around in my car, stopping every 10 metres, and hurling plastic covered paper all about the place, would it not be littering?

Jonathon Reynolds11:19 am 14 Sep 08

the local Chronicle, in all its editions, delivers 140,000 free copies per week all over the ACT, each copy protected in a plastic bag

Nup… here in my area of Ngunnawal the Chronicle is simply placed in my letterbox (no plastic wrapping)

Is there a point to this thread? Home delivered papers are wrapped in plastic because people don’t want soggy, dirty papers.

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