I don’t know either and like you, I rarely see them discarded, blowing about roads or city streets.
The only claim I hear is that they aren’t biodegradable and are thus clogging up the city dumps and worse, are ending up out at sea where they claim there are huge islands of plastic bags and plastic trash that’s hurting the fish and dolphin populations. But, like you, I don’t know if these reports are true or made up.
Its really strange. I’ve wondered if the truth is that the Liberals are always looking for ways to inconvenience “consumption” and have come to believe that forcing people to bring in their own reusable bags will discourage shoppers from buying as much as they might otherwise do.
I think the liberal’s version of truth us whatever they think they can use to foster an illusion to create the type of “reality” that will support their political agendas. Masters of deception or simply liars.
I had a discussion about the plastic bags with some libs. I “cried” that I use those bags for garbage. They said buy black garbage bags. Their claim is that those grocery bags do not disintegrate. That’s 100% bull hockey. Leave those bags in the sun and they become brittle. Store them for a few years and they become brittle. Meanwhile black garbage bags are still useable after two years outdoors. I know this because I compost leaves in them.
I suggested to those “ladies” to stop buying products in plastic containers, children’s toys and ban vinyl siding. Those things do not disintegrate. They had no answer to that.
The problem with the grocery bags is that they are white and easily visible. If they were black, they wouldn’t get so much attention.
The only claim I hear is that they aren’t biodegradable ....I believe that some are and some aren't. I know that the ones that I get in the grocery store "feel" completely different from the cheapies I get here and there at various smaller shops.
ending up out at sea where they claim there are huge islands of plastic bags and plastic trash .... there was a great article on FR about this not too long ago. There are "trash collections" out (especially) in the Pacific due to ocean currents. But, far from being a massive mound of garbage that - at least I - imagined, they're more like a piece of plastic here and there. The equivalent of a plastic bottle cap every acre, was what stuck in my mind. Still not "optimal", but far from a mess of gargantuan proportions.
I'll dig around and see if I can find the article. Since it was on FR, it's less likely to have gone in the memory hole.