Letter: Now it’s up to us to reduce plastic bags in landfills

Graphic by Lori Deaton

According to the Sept. 27 Mountain Xpress edition, local jurisdictions banning single-use plastic bags are now prohibited from doing so due to a recent N.C. General Assembly act on Sept. 22.

This is a surprising turn of events in that the Asheville City Council has been bound and determined to ban plastic bags used in local grocery stores and other places of business.

What we as citizens can do now to minimize the number of plastic bags that end up in the landfill is to deposit our plastic bags at various stores that provide bins for this purpose. Such stores include Ingles, Walmart, Lowe’s, etc. There are a number of other stores that accept plastic bags that I am not familiar with. Perhaps someone could help out here.

— Meiling Dai
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

4 thoughts on “Letter: Now it’s up to us to reduce plastic bags in landfills

    • Meiling Dai

      For your information, HARRIS TEETER at 136 Merrimon Avenue also provides bins for single-use
      plastic bags, as do Ingles and Walmart stores. These plastic bags are shipped to recycling centers
      where they are converted to outdoor furniture and other uses. Customers at all stores are
      encouraged to use plastic shopping bags instead of single-use plastic bags. to bag groceries and
      other items.

  1. hartwell carson

    Only about 5% of plastic bags are recycled. Most of the bags deposited in bins for recycling are thrown away, incinerated or shipped overseas. There is not good use for plastic bags, which is why the only solution is not using single use plastics.

  2. Hiram

    Until laws can be changed, it would be wonderful to see local businesses take the lead and simply phase this crap out. Locals should boycott bars that serve beer from single-use plastic cups.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.