Here we go again. It seems “to ban” is becoming a mantra here in NJ.
Just when I finally wrangled all those grocery non-woven polypropylene grocery bags into my open wall spaces to create better insulation, and our resident serial killers made the very best use of the things knowing they really don’t leak too much blood when disposing of chopped up body parts, I read that there is a bill being sponsored by some NJ state senators aiming to fine restaurants of a certain size that might usually hand out plastic utensils. This would apply to plastic forks, knives, spoons, sporks, and even one-time use chopsticks. Whether this would save these businesses money not having to buy single-use utensils and decrease garbage, I don’t know, although that is the lawmaker’s claims. All I do know is that no action happens without a reaction and just because someone can show me a report that makes some claim, doesn’t mean that report is accurate nor not influenced in some way by folks who stand to make money off of the results of that report.
I have seen reams and reams of stuff on what I read has been called our great state’s landmark, single-use plastic and paper bags ban. The pro and con here are both compelling and probably far from the political/cultural support and/or criticism both sides volley back and forth, there is probably some truth in the middle of the debate (although I am coming to doubt much of what passes as truth these days, especially if it is tweeted). But I have seen enough now in my scant 60-plus years on our little green-blue ball (and especially in the mind-numbing social media echo chamber of the past decade +) to know it serves us best to be careful of declarations demonizing something (in this case plastic) or judging how we were then against how we are now, which, in many cases for me, our now kinda…well…sucks anyway.
I don’t particularly like to be inconvenienced, and I don’t generally like to be told what to do…as is true, I think of most adults. But I also realize that in order to live as best as I can with my fellow humans (I am surely not built for off-the-grid living!) and they with me, there are laws and behaviors we all generally agree with to help us keep cohabitating peacefully. Sure, I have seen a whole bunch of what I once considered civilities falling by the waist side (and here I blame social media again) but mostly I try to follow the laws of the land and go out an about not looking for trouble.
And as a secret aside here…when I am able, I sneak into a small convenience store I frequent often, the owner there always ready to give me a plastic bag (uh oh, call the ecology police!!!!!!!!) when I ask for it or I skip on over to GIANT in PA (my current most favorite grocery chain) and stock up on all the plastic bags I want. Joking as I was up above about using those new grocery store bags as insulation (I am surely not man enough to know anything about how to properly insulate a wall), I am coming to throw them away by the yard (how much then am I polluting, I don’t know).
A couple of years ago I read Trashed: A Graphic Novel, by Derf Backderf (find it here). Although mainly the story of one man’s challenges working on a garbage truck, the reality he spins about what we might think recycling is doing, and clearly what it isn’t, really spun my head around. So, again, just because some politicos (and don’t think for a second anyone we elect, be they on either side, really cares about your health and wealth fair) claim this or that benefit or detriment to our air, soil, water and lives, you would go well not believing much of anything you read these days.
Especially the above blog. In fact, you might want to ban it all together. That’s what we do best in New Jersey these days, right?
