More places are banning plastic bags. Of course, there’s a reason paper bags are more expensive: they consume more resources when produced. And we do not, by the way, have a shortage of landfill space, photogenic garbage barges not withstanding. The next millenium of trash could be stored in an area smaller than Rhode Island.

Penn and Teller have an excellent program on the myths revolving around recycling and trash. Replacing plastic bags with paper ones is bad for the environment, not good for it. But, like all environmental crusades, we have a bunch of scientific and busines ignorami pushing a popular policy because it sounds good.

This is what happens when you empower government. Decisions are made for political reasons, not moral, scientific or economic ones. That’s a bad way of doing things.