Taking Up Space

San Francisco, Marin County, and Oakland have struck a blow for the environment by banning the use of plastic bags at the large grocery chains. Plastic bags are a marvel---lightweight, cheap, durable, and waterproof---but apparently the supervisors, in their infinite wisdom, have judged that the benefits do not outweigh the costs: "killing marine life, gumming up recycling machines [heaven forfend that people put plastic in the paper container, why don’t they make that against the law?] and taking up landfill space." As shoppers spill groceries out of torn paper bags, look for this ordinance to be rescinded faster than the MTBE-mandate fiasco that was supposed to make our gasoline cleaner but instead poisoned our Bay and water supply. © 2007 Stephen Yuen

Last week these road repair trucks emitted enough noxious gases to stink up Market Street several hundred feet in each direction. Because it's a City truck, it's okay.