Paper bags don’t have much use; give plastic bags another try

THE EDITOR, Sir:

This is an open letter to the Government of Jamaica. REGARDING THE recent ban on plastics, which includes our dearly missed ‘scandal bags’, I personally do not think that that was a good move.

I agree that we want, and we all should want, a better and cleaner Jamaica. However, in terms of making things financially better for the citizens of Jamaica, this strategy, I think, is actually taking more from our pockets.

The paper bags are now being used, but they are not effective. They cannot carry as much weight as a ‘scandal bag ’would, before the bottom of it gets torn and presents the possibility of your items falling to the ground.

You might even get your items damaged, or they become completely useless, depending on what they are. For example, a glass bottle. In that case, you’re going to have to repurchase that item and another paper bag, if you don’t have anything else to carry it in.

In supermarkets/haberdasheries, bags that they call ‘market bags’ are being sold for a cost of at least $150. However, as soon as you walk out of the store with anything more than six pounds in that bag, all you’re left with in your hand are the handles of the bag. Also, for those of us who cannot afford to buy a bag every time we purchase an item, we have to carry them nakedly in our hands, and that is very embarrassing.

The usage of paper bags and market bags recently began, but already, I want to know when it will end. We cannot continue to use them and walk with our goods as if we’re carrying eggs and steel all in one bag.

Neither do we want to carry our goods nakedly in our hands.

No, we don’t want to continue like that. It’s already beating our pockets.

To the Government of Jamaica, on behalf of the Jamaican citizens, I’m earnestly asking you to review that strategy that has been implemented, as it is financially pulling us backwards. Regression is the last thing we need. We look forward to

progress.