Eventually that law was given up because it was hugely unsuccessful - people didn't even slow their usage of plastic bags, and so a lot of resentment developed since no environmental impact was to be found, and stores were clearly happy to profit off of using super-cheap low-quality plastic bags they still charge 5 cents for.
Several years later, still nobody is providing or using the biodegradable plant-based bags. People seem happier, or at least numbed to the idea of paying extra for plastic bags, than either carrying their own bags, or turning to other solutions.
BTW: The lcbo bags were made out of the same plant-based material as used in bio-degradable cutlery, which likewise has pretty much failed to replace single-use plastic ones. For no reason, since there is clearly no shortage of plant-based material from which to manufacture them.
I believe there to be a serious marketing problem when it comes to already existing solutions.
Also, many policies confuse waste,plastic waste with climate change. There's overlap, but for lower earth temperature, policies are going to make the biggest change, not individuals. And Now I am realizing I got carried away.
Simple message of "plastic = bad" that can lead to complete plastic bans has potential to backfire & create larger env impacts.
Because:
– food packaging is important in preventing food waste
– plastic alternatives can have larger environmental impacts.
Links:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51040155
https://ourworldindata.org/faq-on-plastics#are-plastic-alter...
2018 article:
https://news.sky.com/story/amp/plastic-doesnt-reduce-food-wa...
