Look, I've seen this play out in my own neighborhood. When my city started charging for plastic bags, people grumbled for a week, then suddenly everyone had reusable bags. That's the thing about bans - they work because they change behavior at the point of decision, not through education campaigns that barely move the needle.
You're saying the problem is uneducated consumers. I get that logic, I really do. But we've been running awareness campaigns for decades. Beach cleanups, documentaries, school programs. And still, people choose convenience over conscience every time. Because that's human nature.
The real issue is the system, not the individual. When plastic is the cheapest, easiest option, even informed people will default to it. We need to flip that - make the sustainable choice the default, not the noble exception. That's what a ban does. It's not about punishing anyone. It's about admitting that waiting for consumers to save us is like waiting for smokers to quit on their own. Sometimes the government has to step in and change the rules of the game.
06:21 PM