Discussions

Signed. Nice initiative

for many different things are they are just the right size to use. Cat litter, meat packages, turkey/chicken carcasses from making soup all get bagged up to dispose in the garbage bin.  
 
What else would I use? Bought refuse bags that have no strength to them?

We put our cat litter directly into our black bin outside since that’s where it goes as soon as we change it out anyways, and we use reusable Tupperware or mason jars for everything we need to freeze/anything else. Works quite well, plus you can reuse everything, worth it to try and avoid the unnecessary waste. It can be done.

I strive to remember to bring my re-usable shopping bags to the stores that charge 5 cents per bag.  
I, too, use the plastic shopping bags for things like garbage and whatnot.  
 
The banning of "single-use plastic checkout bags" would just mean we have to spend more money on purchasing plastic garbage bags - which, if you think about it, those too are "single-use plastic bags".  
Do you propose we ban all garbage bags too?  
 
I'm not against protecting the environment. I just don't see how this would reduce the amount of plastic in landfills, as we still have to bag our garbage for refuse pick up.

Yes there is still lots to change in regards to plastic waste, but eliminating forms of plastic waste little by little will definitely help reduce the amount of plastic waste in the dump dramatically if you think of how many plastic grocery bags are given out to everyone in a day.

I guess you don't know that unbagged cat litter is not allowed in the black bins? I'm surprised that no one from the sanitation department hasn't left you a notice. I would never put my cat litter in the black bin not bagged, it stinks enough!  
 
Plus I do freeze soups etc but what could I use for the carcasses?  
 
I do compost thru the city program and recycle but I use plastic bags and will continue to do so.

I didn’t know that actually! I will find an alternative for my litter! And totally fine to agree to disagree!

Until there is another alternative to use at stores other than paper or plastic, I wouldn’t sign. Reusable bags are great, but I forgot them often, and prefer to pay .05 cents for a plastic bag, then a $1 plus for reusable bag that will be forgotten too. I also like having plastic option for meats, and runny sticky foods.  
 
Paper bags result in deforestation and that is not a great replacement. It can be worse for our environment than single use plastics.  
 
I too use my plastic grocery bags for many things. And would have to find an alternative for those uses, such as buying more plastic bags, in plastic packaging. It goes round and round.  
 
Until an appropriate alternative is brought to stores, I would be opposed. Just my opinion! Good luck!

25 cent tax would also be a great idea! Might have to try that route if this doesn’t work out, hoping it will raise awareness at the very least! And in regards to loose litter/garbage in the black bin I actually called the sanitation department to double check their rules and it’s actually fine to keep loose garbage/litter in the bin as long as it gets cleaned out once in a while to reduce the smell a bit. But of course to each their own, figured I would just clarify this issue! All input is appreciated and of course I know not everyone will agree.

You know, I too often forget my reusable bag and also hate the thought of paying for a plastic bag at the till. Have found myself a couple times with a handful of groceries just to avoid doing so...haha. I also have used the leftover grocery bags for garbages and what not. But have you considered that maybe we do this because we have such an abundance of them sitting in a larger bag in a closet somewhere not knowing what else to do with them? It's possible that we've become used to using them for other things because we needed to get rid of them in some form or another! And yes we would end up buying more garbage bags or what not to replace what we used them for before but chances are we'd buy 1 garbage bag for every 10+ grocery bags we get after 1 grocery shop. I'm not saying I'm for or against the petition, but it would be nice if we could keep our minds open to other options. Like DELIVERYMAN said, reduce and reuse are a big key to solving the problem.

Does it have to be one extreme or the other? Yes we bag our garbage. Without it unsanitary conditions would exist. I toss out about 1-2 bags of garbage a week. I go to the store 2-3 times per week and each time is min 6+ shopping bags. So each week I wouldn't be tossing out 12-18 plastic bags along with my one big garbage bag.

So you don’t use any of those 12-18 bags a week for bathroom, bedroom or office garbages, or for dirty diapers? You don’t use them for any other purposes or save them them for use? You simply throw them away every week? Why aren’t you already using a reusable bag or taking the plastic bags back to the store for recycling already? What would you prefer the store offer as an option to the plastic bags?  
 
I personally keep them in a giant bag and use them like a garbage bag. I would need to buy a bag of little plastic kitchen catcher type bags to replace all the uses I use all the grocery store bags. So it wouldn’t reduce anything for me personally. It would just cost more money.  
I think that’s what the other poster meant by more garbage bags being bought.  
Once again just my opinion.

and thank you for starting this petition. We HAVE to start learning to reduce our use of plastic which is taking such a toll on the environment & the oceans. I'm old enough to remember BP (before plastic) & we coped with the kitty litter disposal etc. In the case of how to replace plastics we'd just have to take some lessons from early in the 20th century because they managed to survive without using plastic to wrap produce, carry produce etc.

I could have sworn I read that cat litter had to be double bagged. I don't double bag every bag. Usually put several bags into one. I will see if I can find where I read that - or perhaps the City has changed their stand on that.  
However, I will still bag it as it just easier to carry bags to the garbage. I'm all for recycling, but we need to find an alternative for things like litter...etc.  
 
Found something - added pic  
 
Edited by Opustwo, 2019-06-07 14:27:20

The triad of "reduce-reuse-recycle" is in ranked order. It was designed like that for a reason. Ideally, there should be nothing to recycle because it's been reduced or reused anyway. Alternative, you can insert the word "rot" into the mantra, where you compost what you are able, ideally in situ so reduce transport costs and emissions.  
 
It's been in the news recently that barges of Canadian garbage AKA recycling have been turned away from places like the Philippines and Malaysia. We're not even processing our own recycling, instead it gets shipped abroad and turned into cheap, non-recyclable products.  
 
I also have issue with putting feces in the landfill, whether it be from pets (dog poop or cat litter) or people (i.e. diapers). Ideally, that should all be going into the sanitary sewer so it can be treated instead of risking the spread of pathogens.

I'm curious, how was it disposed of? Also, what was used instead of plastic garbage bags? Paper I would assume?  
 
I only ever remember plastic, but my parents always embraced the most modern way of doing things.

used grocery bags for cat litter and she's been gone a long time! How old are you?  
 
Yes animal waste is to be double bagged. I don't know why anyone would think it's alright to throw dog crap in the black bin let alone pissy, sh^^y cat litter.

Brandon sanitation department has told me different in regards to disposing of stuff. I had actually mentioned it to them that they should talk to the city about it because before I was transferred to the department of sanitation the city worker was telling me a different story. Hopefully they will all talk and clarify about this issue. I know we will be double bagging our cat litter in paper for now, honestly never thought of it as an issue since it’s in a container made for garbage and nothing more as long as we clean it now and then to keep down any smells.

Don't worry, you would quickly learn to remember your reusable bags after either having to beg for a produce box or pay for new reusables. You get over it eventually. Thompson has banned plastic grocery bags a while back now. People adjust and learn better habits.  
 
Hopefully this will come to pass.

For anyone thinking that plastic bags aren't that big a deal, here's a link to what has reduced Sri Lanka's fish stocks (other than over-fishing) by 80% . In the long term, these plastic bags & plastic "whatever" aside from ruining the environment & oceans will also eventually affect our food supply. THAT is a critical problem which we CAN address now rather than waiting until we're facing food shortages. https://southafricatoday.net/environment/microplastics-a-key-factor-in-sri-lankas-plunging-fish-stocks-survey-shows/

I like to have some. I do have my store bought reuseable bags to bring in most of the time but sometimes I buy store bags purposely or appreciate the stores that still offer them. . I use them for multiple things and I have had to even buy little bags in bag aisle...almost too thick and cost way too much. It would seem the stores are now making money on us buying reuseble bags and other plastic bags and I do not think store prices have gone down.

One thing I remember is the use of string mesh bags for groceries & in a pinch, paper bags. There was a compost bin down the back end of the back yard which took care of things that could be composted. Meat was wrapped in waxed butcher paper and when in the display case was on metal trays in the cooler. Obviously this was before major grocery stores except for "Steinburgs". In fact back in the day (this was Montreal in the 50's & 60's) there was a separate store for the greengrocer, the fruit monger, the fish store, butcher etc. Believe it or not, I still remember a bread van pulled by horses delivering the bread (which was wrapped in thin waxed paper), a man came around with a grinder to sharpen knives, & milk was delivered to the door in glass bottles. Some houses even had a specific hatch that opened from the outside & the Borden's milkman put the milk in there to keep it fresher. Before we got milk delivered, we used to walk across a field to a dairy farm & get it in a special covered stainless steel pail with a lid. Once it became known that milk was safer pasteurized was when we got milk delivered. Newspapers were used to wrap other garbage. Can't remember what happened to the contents of the cat box because back then there wasn't "litter" like we have now. Seems to me we used wood shavings from "somewhere"!

and back when I was growing up, kitty litter as it exists today wasn't available. Can't remember what was used because it was my older sister's job to change the cat box - I got to walk the dog & even back then my father made me pick up the dog doo in newspaper. I DO remember that it got put in the metal garbage cans well-wrapped in newspaper.  
 
I know it's hard to believe that plastic bags weren't readily available in the 50s & 60s but I guess for me the adults in my world still had the "Dirty Thirties" mentality where NOTHING got thrown away unless absolutely necessary & anything plastic was really quite costly so rather than "waste" money, everyone carried on using the then tried & true methods!!

I hate to point out the obvious but your statement of NOTHING got thrown away sounds great except everything was wrapped in paper and ....... The paper got thrown away.

As per the city’s website:  
 
Refuse Do’s & Dont’s  
-Double-bag all pet waste and litter.  
 
http://brandon.ca/sanitation/collection/recycling/recycling-info

I saw that on the picture someone had posted. Like I said when I called they had told me two different things so hopefully everyone gets on the same page and we will modify what we do to take precautions. But like I said where there’s a will there’s a way and plastic checkout bags are not necessary to do this stuff. The discussion is the banning of plastic checkout bags not how to dispose of cat litter. Yes people use them as garbage bags sometimes but there are lots of other alternatives out there compared to plastic checkout bags. And I get that not everyone is interested in the alternatives or thinks they are worth it, but as I said on the first post if you agree with my cause please sign, no one is being forced to sign a petition they don’t agree with. For anyone that is interested still, here is a link with some facts on plastic and some reasons for my petition. http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/interesting-facts-about-plastic-bags

Society loves one time use products. The MAJORITY of products in stores today are made quickly and therefore less expensive. From clockwork to hairdryer to computers, products may work well but not readily repaired.  
 
I see little merit in signing a petition. It might create a talking point. It might motivate some people’s effort to take action to use alternatives.  
 
I recall a discussion a few years back asking if we can afford cheap products from China. Simply put, many cheaply made items have a very short life. They end up being costly. These products are also filling our garbage disposal sites.  
 
We can sign our petitions with our wallets

.... the OP’s intention, I think their methods are lacking forethought. Banning bags will do little to stem the flow of plastic entering our environment. Until governing entities recognize the problem for what it is and start to govern the manufacturing and retail practices, we will never make head way. A bag ban is a bandage on a gushing wound. It might make you feel better but you’re still going to bleed to death. Good luck in your efforts.

the petition starter to answer me this.... I make homemade soups, mostly in winter using turkey, chicken or beef bones. How can I dispose of the bones not using a plastic bag?  
 
There should be more focus on stuff like people throwing garbage on the streets and contaminating their blue bins. If you think that all the blue bins hold clean recyclable items you are wrong! Too many times I have seen the garbage truck emptying a blue bin as garbage so education is key.  
 
The 3 Rs. Sometimes I re-use the plastic grocery bags to shop, always use them for kitchen waste that can't be composted and sometimes the bags are used to take fresh tomatoes to a neighbour/friend.  
They do come in handy.