Survey results graph. Courtesy/Survey Monkey
Community Survey:
Results from the community survey conducted in the Los Alamos Daily Post reveal that 64.65 percent of the 1,027 respondents are against a County-wide ban of plastic bags and 35.44 percent are for it.
The banning of disposable plastic bags, such as those used at grocery stores has been a hot topic in Los Alamos County.
Survey Comments:
What a stupid idea. Recycle them! You can take them back to Smith’s or put them in your recycle container.
2/28/2015 7:13 AM
I think we should be free to choose which kind of bags to use.
2/27/2015 9:13 PM
Reuse and/or recycle them, but don’t ban them. Smiths recycles them. They take less energy to make, they’re more usable, and they’re far more likely to be recycled.
2/27/2015 7:37 PM
Bringing in dirty bags from homes all over the county is a recipe for a health disaster. Los Alamos also has many commuters, visitors, tourists, etc who may not be prepared to deal with a bag ban, and they will likely choose NOT to shop in Los Alamos, as will some of our residents.
2/27/2015 7:29 PM
Paper bags are the better alternative
2/27/2015 5:54 PM
Absolutely not! I reuse them for a whole lot of things. I have a lot of paper bags piling up from shopping in santa fe.
2/27/2015 5:45 PM
I reuse the bags. Plus they can be recycled.
2/27/2015 4:53 PM
We have enough regulation of our lives already!
2/27/2015 4:38 PM
Paper bags fail WAY too often. Plastic bags get my groceries up the steps and into the house every time. Reusable bags are too inconvenient… and how am I supposed to know how many I’ll need?
2/27/2015 4:30 PM
It should be a choice. I don’t throw them away….I reuse them.
2/27/2015 3:23 PM
I started using my own bags approximately two years ago. It takes time to remember to have them in the car and then remember to take them with you into the store. But now it is just habit
2/27/2015 1:58 PM
Before voting, I would like to know, should the plastic bags be banned, what would happen next? I read one article where that happened, and customers had to provide their own. Might that happen here?
2/27/2015 1:50 PM
Don’t take away one of the few choices we have left. Those that want to use paper bags at Smith’s can request the free bags. If we ban plastic bags, so many people will have to use the paper bags that Smith’s will start charging us all for the paper ones. We don’t ALL make six figure salaries.
2/27/2015 1:08 PM
I use these bags to clean up after my cat and dog.
2/27/2015 1:07 PM
Seriously, stop trying to control every aspect of someone’s life.
2/27/2015 12:35 PM
paper bags always tear when, and are difficulty to carry. Reuse the current plastic bags several time before discarding. Will need to purchase new bags…
2/27/2015 12:33 PM
I use the bags and be sure to recycle any left over.
2/27/2015 12:29 PM
Bad for the environment
2/27/2015 11:58 AM
We reuse the bags. Many people use them more than once.
2/27/2015 11:41 AM
less govt the better. stay out of my bag life .. I use them again and again. to call them a one use bag is ridiculous.
2/27/2015 11:40 AM
The garbage police need to move to Santa Fe
2/27/2015 11:34 AM
We “recycle” them many times at home. Smiths and others have plastic bag recycle bins for when we’re finished with them. Waste Management takes them too.
2/27/2015 11:32 AM
There are many uses for them after shopping. Those not used can be recycled at Smiths. Just be responsible–not more laws!
2/27/2015 11:25 AM
We went to plastic because we wanted to save trees. We don’t want to save trees any more?
2/27/2015 11:17 AM
I have a large family to feed. The amount of reusable bags would be ridiculous to take to Smiths. I recycle those plastic Smith bags and use them again and again.
2/27/2015 11:10 AM
I would be OK with banning use everywhere except the grocery store. I use the bags as garbage bags and for other purposes.
2/27/2015 11:06 AM
I use the garbage bags to line plastic bins to throw out used tissues ..It seems more sanitary to me.
2/27/2015 10:25 AM
The county council has gone a bit rabid with it’s oversight. Reign them in, relieve them of any power, keep them out of commerce. FREE THE MARKET! I mean, the market as an economic construct, not Smith’s. Although it would be nice to be free of them as well with their cronyism and wooing of the county council and – sorry, got off topic. We reuse plastic bags 2 or 3 times. They’re dashed useful. More to the point, a ban would give one more example of government overreach in this small town/ big government debacle.
2/27/2015 10:23 AM
encourage not to use, not banned
2/27/2015 10:20 AM
If plastic bags can be recycled, I don’t favor banning them. If they can not, then we need to limit their use.
2/27/2015 10:15 AM
I use reusable shopping bags, but appreciate the availability of the plastic bags for meats and other drippy stuff.
2/27/2015 10:06 AM
We already pay a high amount for groceries and other items in this community and by removing plastic bags from stores the stores will be forced to provide paper bags/ cloth bags which cost more. And that higher cost will be passed on to the customers. One more reason not to shop locally. I do not shop at Hobby Lobby anymore because they don’t provide me a bag.
2/27/2015 10:04 AM
I think that an overall ban would be extreme. I would say that it would be better to ban using plastic bags unless you are require more than 5. Trying to maneuver 5 or more paper bags is terribly difficult for most. So in short: 1-5 bags, you get paper. 5-more you may elect to have plastic
2/27/2015 10:01 AM
The bags are useful and there are ample opportunities to recycle them.
2/27/2015 9:50 AM
We use the plastic bags for trash bags and freezer bags. This saves money and the size is just right for for our family.
2/27/2015 9:23 AM
They are very handy and I always reuse them.
2/27/2015 9:22 AM
Plastic bags are accepted for recycling now. Plus they are not limited to a one time use. I urge depth of thought on this before simply jumping to a law governing the bag use. We all care about our environment. We need to act responsibly in our use of the conveniences we enjoy and still protect our environment.
2/27/2015 9:14 AM
Many of us recycle them. If they are banned, we will just have to buy plastic bags to serve the purpose for which the grocery bags are now being used.
2/27/2015 9:01 AM
We need to be a more pro active, forward thinking community.
2/27/2015 9:00 AM
use them and recycle them??
2/27/2015 8:53 AM
It is a little thing to do to have huge results in the environment.
2/27/2015 8:51 AM
We reuse the so-called “disposable” plastic bags to get rid of daily cat litter clean-out. If these bags were not available for reuse, we would have to buy more plastic bags for this reuse.
2/27/2015 8:46 AM
I use Bags to pick-up Dog mess, when Walking dog around Town, and Also Secondary Garbage Bags in my home. I rarely buy Trash Bags.
2/27/2015 8:41 AM
When will the games end? I remember paper bags, a cheap, multiuse product, cheaply renewable and easily recycle-able. But no! We have to save the trees! So, we went to plastic, supposiably cheap, recycle able, and a better product. Reality is that nobody wants to recycle it because there is no money or even benefit to doing so. Just another game being played by those who never think things through or EVER admit their last idea wasn’t so good! Just another Power Point meaningless emotional response to lack of thinking! “Here we go again”
2/27/2015 8:38 AM
Plastic bags remain toxic even after they break down.
2/27/2015 8:30 AM
When will this madness end? Now we can’t even use a plastic bag for our groceries?
2/27/2015 8:17 AM
Time to face the music and stop using single use products. This is an easy solution!
2/27/2015 8:05 AM
Better to educate and “train” people to use reusable bags, but allow plastic.
2/27/2015 8:00 AM
It’s nice when people use their own bags, but when I get a plastic bag from the store I reusge them in my waste baskets (kitchen,bath) at home. Dont’ buy them.
2/27/2015 7:57 AM
I normally use my own bags, but it is nice to have plastic if I forget mine. This banning is getting out of control. Lets stop banning everything, and just encourage others to remember their own bags but not hurt them if they forget!
2/27/2015 7:53 AM
I reuse the bags all the time or turn them in to be re-cycled. So tired of the nanny state mind set.
2/27/2015 7:53 AM
The County Council has no business telling store owners what to do. Business owners can decide for themselves.
2/27/2015 7:48 AM
I recycle the bags. They have a lot of use, I.e. trash can liners
2/27/2015 7:43 AM
I don’t like to shop at stores that REQUIRE you bring your own bags. I limit shopping in stores in Santa Fe to ONLY what I can carry without to much effort. This is stupid idea. Ask the tree-huggers to move to Santa Fe.
2/27/2015 7:41 AM
I have experienced no plastic in Santa Fe and love it! I have no use for one-time use plastic grocery bags. They are awful on the environment. The individual stores could offer paper bags only and possibly charge for bags if you do not bring your own.
2/27/2015 7:39 AM
We are constantly overreacting!!!!!!!!!!!!
2/27/2015 7:30 AM
If the use of reusable bags is a good idea, the use of plastic ones will naturally go away. This is not something to legislate. Let the consumers decide how they want to shop.
2/27/2015 7:26 AM
No
2/27/2015 7:21 AM
One only needs to walk down Canyon Road, between the Walkup Center and Trinity Drive, to see the ultimate ending location for disposable plastic bags. Let’s keep Los Alamos clean! It’s easy, it’s simple, and we can do it!
2/27/2015 7:03 AM
Plastic bags are far cheaper to manufacture and ship, much more convenient, and easily recyclable.. It’s been years since I’ve seen a plastic bag blowing through the air, so people are handling them carefully. The use of paper bags should be outlawed.
2/27/2015 6:58 AM
While I primarily use canvas bags for shopping, at times I forget them at home or in the car, especially when I run into the store for some quick items. In addition, we reuse the plastic bags for numerous things like trash can liners, trash bags in the car, wrapping shoes in suitcases, dog poop, etc. A ban would require us to purchase purpose-made bags. From what I understand, after Santa Fe banned “one-time use” bags, the number of paper grocery bags used skyrocketed. Those bags are much more costly to the environment to produce and dispose of than plastic ones. Finally, I am tired of all the banning that is happening – doesn’t our county council have better things to do than listen to a well-organized, but small group with a very specific agenda that has no real impact on the county.
2/27/2015 6:34 AM
Everyone carries the cloth bags now and I’m tired of seeing these plastic bags stuck on cactus!
2/27/2015 6:33 AM
As a former Los Alamos resident I support this effort as we went through the same process here in Montgomery County Maryland and it certainly cleaned up the area. Shoppers take their own personal shopping bags with them, and if you do not have one, each plastic bag needed for your groceries or items purchased will be sold as a reasonable price. Eventually everyone joins in and you have a much cleaner environment. Trust me, it works.
2/27/2015 6:29 AM
getting 5 cents credit for using reusable bags should be enough incentive.
2/27/2015 6:06 AM
Smith’s will re-cycle them…
2/27/2015 5:37 AM
Continued use of plastic bags is both unnecessary and irrisonsable. Everyone carries canvas bags in the trunk of their car, and everyone forgets to take those bags in nearly every time. It is time to make sure everyone remembers!
2/27/2015 5:31 AM
Our town is already very involved in using their own bags and take a huge responsibility in recycling. We do not need the government telling is what we can and can’t do.
2/27/2015 12:07 AM
My newspaper is wrapped in a single use plastic bag that is useful for very little other than keeping it dry. That is good. I use grocery bags for many other things. I also use cloth bags for most of my grocery shopping. Maintain the availability of plastic bags for when I need them. Thanks.
2/26/2015 11:56 PM
There is evidence that they are toxic waste, yet they are disposed of with little or no regard. They are so convenient, BUT at a very high price to the global environment.
2/26/2015 11:45 PM
I use cloth bags most of the time, but we still need plastic to put meats and other products in. AND, once home, I use and REuse the plastic (as well as paper bags when I happen to get one) for many things. If they are eliminated, I will have to purchase some sort of small plastic carry bag for such uses. AND, will the cost of our groceries go DOWN if the current built-in cost of the bags goes away when the bags are eliminated? I’ll bet not! But MY cost will go UP when I have to purchase some sort of plastic bags for various uses where cloth bags are not suitable. One more expense for those of us on fixed (or low) incomes.
2/26/2015 11:42 PM
The oceans are full of plastic. The sea animals are dying. The other sea animals are eating the plastic and WE are eating the fish. Think about it. We do not need all the plastic that is around. Eliminating some will help. This is not a big sacrifice because if you need plastic bags only those who need them will buy them, the rest will not have them and throw them away.
2/26/2015 11:37 PM
Paper bags use more resources, and most will use those. People reuse plastic bags, and now we can recycle them.
2/26/2015 11:14 PM
Using cloth bags is so easy. Thin plastic bags are terribly destructive to wildlife and ocean life.
2/26/2015 11:11 PM
Most supporters of disposable bag use that I know are dog owners that use them for cleaning up after their dogs. NOT a good reason for continuing to offer these!
2/26/2015 9:52 PM
I usually bring my own bags, but it is nice when they provide them, especially if I’m buying and wasn’t planning on it.
2/26/2015 9:34 PM
Plastic bags are great for cleaning up ones yard after their dog or even on a walk. They bare also great for when you have to deliver items to goodwill etc
2/26/2015 9:28 PM
They need to spend their time widening the tax base in the County. Not frivolous stuff like shopping bags
2/26/2015 9:23 PM
Not a significant issue, compared with the millions County Council is wasting on highly questionable projects.
2/26/2015 9:21 PM
Garbage bags that are supposed to be used in bins are also “disposable” because one can always dispose of them.
2/26/2015 9:17 PM
Plastic bags are easier to carry than paper since they have handles. And you can carry more than one bag at a time. They don’t tear like paper bags if you pick them up wrong. They fit better in the cart and car. They can be recycled. Paper bags can’t fit much in them. They rip easily. They don’t stack well. You can only carry one at a time. For people that buy a lot, plastic bags are way better. And since they can be recycled, they aren’t hurting the environment. Not to mention you can use them for garbage can liners. Long live the plastic bag!
2/26/2015 9:16 PM
Santa Fe did, as have many other communities across the country. Plastic and plastic bags are filling our oceans and country…they last for thousands of years and are made from oil. Let’s do the right thing finally and just get rid of them!
2/26/2015 9:12 PM
Bags have reuse potential for cat owners. Just charge a nickel per bag and let the market decide. They will be gone, eventually.
2/26/2015 9:10 PM
Absolutely not!!!!
2/26/2015 9:06 PM
So, I’m yes and no on this one (but mostly yes). I think we should have to pay for them (say, ten cents a bag or something nominal). That should encourage people to use cloth bags but still allow them to stop spontaneously at the store on the way home from work and get a few things without a huge penalty.
2/26/2015 8:54 PM
It would be better to install recycling stations at Smith.
2/26/2015 8:41 PM
Don’t see plastic bags being missed used (blowing about) in LA. Keeep them & let us be free to use them or paper as is optimal.
2/26/2015 8:40 PM
Absolutely. And, they should make sure they have the very best alternatives lined up, as well.
2/26/2015 8:40 PM
I re-use those bags over and over and then recycle. I don’t need the county telling me how to be a responsible consumer; I’m capable of that on my own.
2/26/2015 8:27 PM
A more effective way of ridding plastic bags would be for stores to charge for them. Problems don’t need laws for solutions only simple economics.
2/26/2015 8:22 PM
I don’t like the plastic bags and take my own reusable bags to the store. It should be a personal decision not a county ban.
2/26/2015 8:18 PM
we use plastic bags more than once. paper pags use lots of water to make. CLoth bags carry germs and are hard to clean.
2/26/2015 8:17 PM
Save the Bag!
2/26/2015 8:08 PM
There already is an option and for paper or plastic and also reusable bags. stores should offer more of an incentive for people to use those options without plastic bags.
2/26/2015 7:58 PM
There are many uses for the bags. Line garbag cans, take lunch to work, clean up debris, etc. People should put them in the recycler at the store if they wish to not use them again.
2/26/2015 7:41 PM
Yes, I see them floating in the wind down the streets regularly. Ugh!
2/26/2015 7:33 PM
we recycle
2/26/2015 7:20 PM
Places like Casa Mesita recycle hundreds of them holding down their costs. Santa Fe is proposing a charge for paper. At Sprouts last week I checked out with 4 cantalopes and several other items, the checker asked me if I wanted a bag, not easy to juggle that many, I felt the person’s comparison to a water fall was stupid.
2/26/2015 7:18 PM
No. In my household as well as MANY others, the bags are double-use- to carry groceries, then as small trash bags. Even if forced to use canvas bags, as much will end up wasted.
2/26/2015 7:07 PM
This just another form of gov’t control.
2/26/2015 7:01 PM
To help the landfills it is better to use reusable Bags.
2/26/2015 6:48 PM
