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The plastic bags that New Yorkers walk away with after shopping have many functions in their 2nd lives - picking up dog poop, reuse as garbage bags, or even getting caught in trees - but there's one especially novel usage. In today's entry on the city's new plastic bag recycling bill, which awaits Mayor Bloomberg's signature, we learned that plastic bags can also be used as toys for children:
The best way to reuse plastic bags is to let your young children play with them! They make wonderful and amusing toys. A great favorite of all children is playing 'Spaceman', using a plastic bag as a make believe Flash Gordon style helmet!Naturally, emilydickinson was being sarcastic when she left the comment, but that sarcasm wasn't picked up by all.
The bill will require stores of over 5,000 sq. ft. to offer recycling for the bags and have bins where bags may be returned. Lest chains with small locations be left out of the recycling bonanza, any store with more than five locations will also have to offer bag recycling as well.
Other readers wondered if using an economic incentive like a 5-10¢ charge or discount would work to cut down on actual bag usage by consumers.
Photo of recyclables as costume in the Art Parade by mattcarman on flickr; that's another way of using the bags a second time
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If another -ist did a comment of the _, it would be comment of the year. And it would be irrelevant.
nobody fails to factor in that the energy and waste created by recycling paper and plastic is even more harmful to the environment than the waste itself. they should just stop making plastic bags and force people to buy cloth bags or bring their own.
Some nice gams on that can.
Gothamist staff: I would like to know how I can go about getting one of my comments recognized in this new feature.
I just love "comment of the day"; it is sooo....fetch.
I thought EmilyDickinson was lost somewhere in the south Pacific trying to circle the globe by airplane back in the thirties. Did they finally find her? She was always a snappy dresser with those fancy pants and pre nazi boots. Kind of looked like Charles Lindbergh but better looking.
Or was she the one that wrote Great Expectations?
Snoopy, you strike me as a lonely middle-aged guy who spouts racist invective here as an outlet for his frustrations with life. Am I spot on?
Coolmidwestguy,
In answer to your spot on observation, I am neither lonely, nor middle-aged, nor racist. I would suggest you take your observations back to the mid west and stuff them up your tight butt.
There is nothing cool about the midwest by the way. Never was and never will be. Move to Branson, Mo if you want to be cool or do they still spell it Kool out there?
Oops, it looks like I struck a nerve
If we let more children play with plastic bags not only is it economically conscious but it is also creates less waste.
The article is irresponsible. We've heard a lot about kids dying in crazy ways. Kids + plastic bags = suffocation. You do the math.
Hooray, Gothamist is now recycling comments. This is almost as bad as when they thank their advertisers. Is this level of sucking up really necessary?
What a waste of time and money! Like people are going to go to Target, Kmart, Pathamrk, etc. with a bunch of plastic bags to recycle.
Doubtful.
If you want to change what people do, there HAS to be a monetary incentive!
Start charging 5 cents a bag! Or more! In Holland if you want a plastic bag for your groceries you have to pay 25 cents per bag! Otherwise, BYOB!
I think this city lives in a fantasyland where it think the people who work and live in it are civilized and will do what is good because they shoud want to. WRONG! People do what is most convenient for them, that is the American way!