Though many of us are puzzled at how San Francisco is overflowing with syringes in the street, California wants to punish people for using straws. Even Santa barbara wants to send people to jail over it for a six month period of time. oh, an offense that carries no more than 6 months is considered a petty offense. Though I don't know the exact rules for california, typically you don't even get a jury trial in a petty offense. see Lewis v United states. So if you are a waiter in California, and you offer 100 customers a day a straw who acquiesce. Well enjoy up to 50 years in jail with no jury trial. Ah, commiefornia justice.
What may be next on their agenda are contact lenses. Though speculative, I am not kidding you. see scientific American's article "Contact Lenses Are a Surprising Source of Pollution"
Every year, Americans flush 2.6 to 2.9 billion contact lenses down the drain, according to new research from Arizona State University. By tallying this detritus and studying how it persists in this environment, the study provides the first estimate of the potential burden of these tiny plastics, or microplastics.
...That failure to break down led the researchers to a startling conclusion: as much as 23,000 kilograms of lenses (about 50,000 pounds) may accumulate in sewage sludge in the U.S. each year. And because wastewater industry reports suggest about 55 percent of that waste is dumped into soils, the researchers estimate that 11,000 to 12,650 kilograms (about 24,000 to 28,000 pounds) of contaminant-harboring contact lens fragments end up in U.S. dirt annually. A still unknown amount may flow into oceans and rivers.
...If filter feeders and small fish ingest the contacts, whether whole or shattered, it could cause a blockage in their bodily functions. In addition, “It’s been documented that organisms that ingest plastic have a lower propensity to feed because they already feel full. And because that’s not providing nutrients, it is possible for organisms like that to starve,” Rolsky says.
Of course what comes after that? Will it be a materials ban on our ball point pens? Will it be individualize packing of small candies so they all melt together? Will it be a ban on polyethylene beads for cheap jewelry, crafting, or molding? Will it be a material ban on polyethylene stuffing such as used in pillows, quilts, and snow decorations? Will the plastic bag be on the chopping block next after all that effort to save the trees and getting rid of paper bags?
Maybe it will be with styrofoam cups and shipping peanuts. Doh, San Franscisco already banned them.
I think after all this I am going to have to get some bubble wrap and start popping them to calm down. Oh wait, the fun was already taken out of that years ago due to material costs.
Anyways, here are a couple of carrots from my garden.
