Ban on plastic shopping bags?

As convenient as they are for so many tasks, from hauling our groceries to cleaning up pet waste, most of us are aware that plastic bags are not healthy for our environment.
Although there are biodegradable plastic bags, most in use are not. Plastic bags are, however, recyclable, but getting them to proper recycling facilities is problematic. They clutter up recycling equipment, blow around landfills and along highways, and generally are as detrimental as they are useful.
St. Louis Park in the metro area is considering an all-out ban on single-use plastic bags. If it passes the ban, it will be the first city in the state to do so.
A Star Tribune report Tuesday on the possible ban in St. Louis Park pointed out that “even ultra-green Boulder, Colo., a city synonymous with environmentalism, hasn’t gone that far.”
While some cities in California have adopted a ban, the article went on to say, a statewide ban put in place last year got such fierce pushback from the plastic bag industry that the state’s voters will now decide the issue in November 2016.
Like so many issues, a simple ban on plastic will probably just cause confusion, increased prices at the store and costly retrofit projects for retailers and others. Citywide bans will simply push consumers to other communities to buy their goods, where prices will be cheaper.
We would love to see the replacement of plastic bags with more natural, reusable products. But we cannot accomplish that by simply banning their use. We need to encourage entrepreneurs to come up with better products that are both affordable and environmentally friendly. This needs to be a transitional process, not another mandate that may force businesses to close and employees to lose jobs.
We know the technology is out there to develop better, more environmentally products. Eventually, we will get there. Let’s let common sense run its course before simply outlaw a product.