NationStates Jolt Archive

AP-Queen Sakaki Zeal signed a bill into law today outlawing plastic bags and sending them to the shredder. The bill comes about as a result of several enviromental complaints about bags floating everywhere and ending up in the water. From now on no store can carry plastic bags they must carry paper instead.

"This will dramatically reduce waste." Says Spearheader Akiko Matsuda. "From now on, we won't have so much waste to deal with. And besides, paper is much more effective, it's easily reusable." In addition to the ban, stores and customers are asked to reuse bags if possible to prevent uneeded strain on forestry.

OOCish: This is going to dramatically increase your deforestation rates due to the the increase in demand for paper bags to substitute for the plastic bags used. I don't think asking people to reuse bags will prove effective. I actually think it might increase waste (although somewhat feasably biodegradable) due to the production of the paper bags, and the disposal of them.

Some questions to consider:
Do you have a plan to increase the efficiency of paper bag production and minimize the waste from manufacturing them?

Does this also apply to packaging such as bubble wrap, industrial plastic wrap, and other plastic products?

Also, have you considered how many jobs will be lost due to the ban of the manufacture of plastic bags?

Finally, do you think that this will effect the price of oil in your country? Why or why not?

Trees will be replanted as they are cut down. Reusing paper will be more efficient to cut in half the use of bags. All these have been concluded in a report by the Department of the Interior of Kitsuneville.

1. No, bubble wrap can still be used, yes plastic wrap will be replaced for other materials.

2. No one works in the manufacture of these bags, and anyone in the country that does can find new jobs easily.

3. No we don't think it will effect the price of oil, while deforesting will rise slightly, oil really will have no effect.

Ministry of Misc. Stuff
We suggest Nylon for your bags instead of plastic. They are better for 'plastic' bags.

Hmm...an idealist I see.
ok...

you DO realize how plastics are made, right? Through processing petroleum into the desired plastics. If I were you, this would increase the availability of oils that can be used for other means such as transportation. But since your plastics are obviously made from something else, i guess you wont reap those benefits.

Also, you DO realize that it takes more than a summer to grow back a tree, right? This renders your little report there questionable at the least. So you plant a tree after you cut one down.. That doesn't mean you'll have a sustainable supply of trees tomorrow. You would need to wait at least 25 years to even consider cutting down those replanted trees. Its also extremely effort consuming to replant trees and maintain them until they are "harvestable." Its almost impractical to replant trees at the rate you are suggesting.

One more thing:
if nobody works in manufacturing plastic bags, how can you have the government ban this magically appearing supply of them in your stores? The bags have to come from somewhere!

Now the oil can be put to better use in the country with out having to waste it on Plastic bags.

We know it takes time for trees to grow back, which is why a quota will be maintained. We have such info but aren't ready to disclose it to you.

Most of the manufacturing is either automated or based on imports

Global Affairs Dept.

Most of the manufacturing is either automated or based on imports

Global Affairs Dept.

Who builds/repairs/programs/works the machines?

2. No one works in the manufacture of these bags, and anyone in the country that does can find new jobs easily.

Let's check that.

National Economic Statistics Value
Exchange Rate: 2.5329 vulpix coin = $1
Gross Domestic Product: $4,559,090,998,915.54
GDP Per Capita: $8,396.12
Unemployment Rate: 9.22%
Consumption: $4,072,092,750,000.00
Government Budget: $545,187,407,625.00
Govenment Expenditures: $534,283,659,472.50
Government Waste: $10,903,748,152.50
Exports: $528,511,640,627.11
Imports: $575,797,051,184.06
Trade Deficit: ($47,285,410,556.96)

*whistle* So in addition to magically appearing bags, you have magically appearing hobos.

Deep in the Kitsuneville Mountains there is a secret facility where they magically clone hoboes, planning to gain money from mass panhandling operations so they can build a war machine manned by hoboes and overthrow the government.


Link to your economic calculator pl0x, mine broke.

http://nsdossier.texasregion.net/main.aspx

Most reliable, imo. Never went down. I was in the region of the guy who made it. Nice guy.

[To those criticising the OP for banning plastic bags, maybe they're switching to these (http://www.chicobag.com). No paper, no plastic, reusable nylon sacks. They need someone to produce them, too, so maybe the plastic bag makers are going over to Chico Bags.]

In france you are expected to bring your own net bag or some such

Now the oil can be put to better use in the country with out having to waste it on Plastic bags.

yeah well, ya see... somehow YOUR plastic bags are magically made by some automated machines that don't use petroleum products.

You're contradicting yourself when you say "oil won't be affected" and then saying "oh! theres oil because someone told me there was. Lets use it!"

>.<