Comments on The Art of Engineering: Degradable plastic

I think that the plastic bag legislation is good, ...

2008-03-06T15:27:00.000+02:00

I think that the plastic bag legislation is good, but I'm a little unconvinced as to its efficacy. I am very sure that it has reduced plastic bag waste, but there are quite a few things that I still just don't get:

1) Why do most people that I stand behind in a queue buy plastic bags?

2) Why do they sell them for so cheap? I think retailers should penalise people by overpricing plastic bags (like R10 a bag)

3) Why do they keep putting my stuff into those silly little plastic bags even when I ask them not to? Is that even allowed (I've only seen it in the Western Cape).

I would be interested to know what the stats are on the reduction of plastic bags due to the legislation.

Obviously, plastics shopping bags are also only a small amount of the plastic that is in circulation. Just about every item in stores is somehow packaged in plastic, and most of that makes its way to land fills (even though a lot can be recycled).

I would really like to see a move towards less packaging, and plastics that are more reusable (reuse beats recycling any time).

Hi DuncanInteresting article indeed. I think SA ha...

2008-03-06T15:04:00.000+02:00

Hi Duncan

Interesting article indeed. I think SA has come a long way in terms of plastic bags. Since introducing prices at the shops most people opt to recycle their bags by re-using them.

I hardly see any plastic bags littering the streets anymore.

It's at least a small triumph worth mentioning.

Oil is not being imported to make oxo-bio plastic ...

2008-03-05T14:42:00.000+02:00

Oil is not being imported to make oxo-bio plastic bags. It is being imported to make gasoline, and the bags are made from a by-product which used to be flared-off at the refinery and wasted.