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Comment by spodek | Hacker News Reader

Cleaning it up doesn't fix the problem: we're producing disposable garbage.

We can stop buying disposable stuff -- plastic bags, coffee cups, stupid gifts people use for thirty seconds before throwing it away, etc.

How much stuff within your reach or eyesight will be used for under a month then never again that you could have not bought?

It's a start that will improve your life not to get the stuff. Yes we can do more, but let's at least start with what we immediately control.

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But you're right. Gifts aside, we can at least reduce the packaging. Recently I had a chance to spend some time in Japan and the overuse of plastic bags and packaging was startling. (I expected a modern island nation to be more environmentally efficient.)

Sources suggest this is "customer first" culture-driven:

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/13266062/ns/world_news-world_envir... (2013)

https://www.quora.com/Why-are-plastic-bags-in-Japan-so-overu...

I agree with what you said but, most of the trash looks like it’s from industry and not consumers.

1-use plastic bags that don't decompose are already banned in the eu. Would be nice if the US adopted the same approach

This is not true.

Here in the UK (EU, for now) single-use plastic bags are still depressingly common.

A levy of 5p per bag was introduced a couple of years back, but nothing that even remotely resembles a proper ban.

I stand corrected, how to curb their usage is left to the member states They're banned here in Italy (and in France), I thought the ban was EU wide.

https://ec.europa.eu/environment/efe/themes/waste/breaking-b...

I do not know if plastic bags are banned in France, I can use any amount of PLA bags that I want for free and if I pay one euro per bag, I can buy as many plastic bags that I want.

In France often what the law says and what is reported in media differs widely. It is absolutely out of context but the best example was the 35 hours per week laws that authorised up to 56 hours per week for some kind of workers.

PLA bags aren't bad for the environment; they will decompose quickly. Having 1 euro for durable plastic ones looks more than enough to di discourage their use (even if it's not an actual ban).

PLA will only decompose quickly in an industrial composting facility. If it gets into the ocean it will decompose at about the same rate as regular plastics.

I checked, and in Italy the actual material is this one: http://materbi.com/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/12/Sch...

I would be curious how this compares to PLA. If you have any idea about that, let me know.

That's quite an interesting looking one, I've not directly heard of it before but as it's been around for a few years is quite possibly used in some products.

It looks to be a PLA base with some other additives, presumably to aid the breakdown. Thanks for the info, I'll look into it more.

You're welcome. It's quite used here in Italy, I have no idea if it has the merits they talk about.

They are banned in some municipalities in the US. Sonoma county, CA, for example.

exactly. this is one of the primary reasons that I am as minimalist as i can manage

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