In Korea (as in all over the world), plastic bags are everywhere. Buying fruit or vegetables? You need a plastic bag to stick the price on. Buying tofu? Put it in a plastic bag. Food to go? Plastic bag. Buying goods? Plastic bag.Even when you’re buying a bag, they give you a plastic bag.
And in Korea, many cashiers INSIST that you take one. I remember saying “no, it’s ok” five times while a lady kept smiling and saying “service!” (it’s free) Me taking the plastic bag was part of being a satisfied costumer and she wouldn’t let me go without it.
While the plastic bag issue has been a serious concern in every single country for quite a while now, some nations have made a great effort at minimizing its use.
After all, it takes hundreds of years for one plastic bag to decompose.
In France, for instance, grocery stores don’t even have plastic bags. You forgot to bring a bag? You must buy one for a few cents. Back in Quebec, some grocery stores give you a discount when you bring your re-use your plastic bag. I've also seen bio-degradable ones, that still take a while to vanish though.
In Korea, they charge you for it. And while it’s a good initiative, 5 cents really doesn’t matter when you buy 200$ worth of food…
Meanwhile animals are choking on plastic bags. Plastic bags all everywhere you look, strewing the ground, stuck in trees, hiding in dark alleys and floating in the ocean. Yet plastic bags are still produced every single day.
The same could be said of plastic/glass bottles, ridiculously thick plastic packing, and everything else we consume for that matter. Dumps are overloaded with our trash, and the space is getting scarce.
Just a thought: drop the damn plastic bag!
10 cents for one of those? No way. How about 10$ for every plastic bag? Then we’ll think about it twice before taking it...
In France, for instance, grocery stores don’t even have plastic bags. You forgot to bring a bag? You must buy one for a few cents. Back in Quebec, some grocery stores give you a discount when you bring your re-use your plastic bag. I've also seen bio-degradable ones, that still take a while to vanish though.
In Korea, they charge you for it. And while it’s a good initiative, 5 cents really doesn’t matter when you buy 200$ worth of food…
Meanwhile animals are choking on plastic bags. Plastic bags all everywhere you look, strewing the ground, stuck in trees, hiding in dark alleys and floating in the ocean. Yet plastic bags are still produced every single day.
The same could be said of plastic/glass bottles, ridiculously thick plastic packing, and everything else we consume for that matter. Dumps are overloaded with our trash, and the space is getting scarce.
Just a thought: drop the damn plastic bag!
10 cents for one of those? No way. How about 10$ for every plastic bag? Then we’ll think about it twice before taking it...
Pictures: Google images
