trib, times: plastic bags suck, but you (not us) can fix it

Once again, both daily newspapers are chastising you while ignoring their own contributions to a real problem.

You’ll remember that St. Pete Times columnist Sue Carlton denounced using single-use bags at the grocery store, and supports banning them. But a recent DEP report suggests a public education campaign is as good as an outright ban, and she is disappointed. Still, she is hopeful you will take it upon yourself to bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store.

Not surprisingly, a Tampa Tribune editorial is happy government isn’t banning plastic bags. And even though we pointed out that your newspaper subscription is delivered in a plastic bag every single day, the focus is always on grocery stores:

Chances are, when you go to the grocery store today you’ll chose plastic, and the bags will end up in the trash or littering the landscape, creating trouble for Florida’s natural resources, wildlife and public infrastructure.

Like our friend Sue, the Trib goes on to tell us that these plastic bags are pure evil:

… bags have become a nuisance, especially plastic ones. They have caused equipment malfunctions at recycling facilities and landfills, according to DEP. People thoughtlessly litter the landscape with them and the wind blows them away from landfills. And, alas, the plastic bags are durable, making them a persistent polluter.

They can harm animals that eat them and clog stormwater ponds, lines and ditches, creating drainage problems.

But the Trib tells us we don’t need a ban, we simply need YOU CONSUMERS and YOU OTHER BUSINESSES to man up and take care of this:

… merchants and consumers can address this environmental offender without a ban, requiring customers to pay “deposits” for bags or enacting fees, which were among the options DEP gave the Legislature. Lawmakers also should consider substantially increasing fines for littering… Concerned citizens and motivated retailers can solve this problem without government dictates…

“Motivated retailers” can clean it up? How about hypocritical businesses, such as the St. Pete Times and Tampa Tribune? What are these corporations doing to help?

My family chooses to use reusable bags, and I don’t know if a ban on single-use bags is the right idea or not. But I’m certainly tired of newspaper people scolding us without even acknowledging their significant part in the problem.