While walking downtown, I noticed a poster regarding a screening of the movie “Bag It,” which promotes the banning of single-use plastic bags. It will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Smiley Building. What a great opportunity for everybody to get more information about the effects of the single-use plastic bags on our environment. When I watched the movie a few months ago, it convinced me even more that banning these bags is a simple but important step toward a wiser use of our precious resource – oil.

Actually, I am surprised there is a public debate about this issue and that people start to worry about dog poop or how to keep veggies fresh. Don’t worry, without single-use plastic grocery bags, there will still be more than enough other plastic coming into your kitchen, simply because almost everything is wrapped in plastic anyway. Besides, you can buy biodegradable plastic bags for your dog’s waste.

In Holland, my country of origin, we never get plastic bags at the checkout. You bring your own bags, you grab a cardboard box or you buy a big sturdy multi-use bag at checkout. No one ever complains about this or consumes less because of it. Furthermore, I have never heard any comments that personal freedom has been compromised because of a plastic bag.

In the United States, the average person uses 500 of these bags per year, only to get the groceries to the car. I am not saying that the Dutch are less wasteful than Americans; I am suggesting only that this ban is something Americans can do. It does not affect your happiness or standard of living in a negative way; your groceries will still make it to the fridge. We need to do a lot more than banning single-use plastic bags if we want our children’s children to enjoy the beauty of our planet, but this will make a difference. This ban seems a no-brainer to me.

Mip van Suchtelen

Durango