Loud Thoughts

China just banned flimsy (0.025mm or less) plastic bags. Stores cannot provide them free of charge anymore. In days, usage shrank by 80%. Triumph for environmentalists. It seems.

People hate paying for something that was free. Ignorant or defiant customers quarrel at the check-out. I had several surprises: a piece of dripping red meat hung on a twine from the butcher; a handful of cherry tomatoes poured into my canvas bag.

Market will react: a supermarket switched to paper bags. Customers will get used to paying for them. Stores will find plastic bags sales a mandated profit. Would Earth win?

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