Letters: Recycle or replace plastic bags

I read Jenna Kern-Rugile's rant against plastic grocery bags, "Try the carrot and stick to battle plastic bags" [Opinion, June 1]. She feels that plastic-bag use should be reduced.

She does not mention that plastic bags are being recycled. Nearly every store I go to has a recycling bin, which is nearly always full.

Kern-Rugile seems to think the ideal solution is to charge customers 5 cents a bag. What would this do to grocery lines? How much more time would it take to check out? Who would supervise automatic checkouts?

Making shopping more expensive and time-consuming for stores and customers does not seem like an ideal solution.

Mary McHugh, Bay Shore
 

If I had to use canvas bags for groceries, what would I use for garbage? Glad bags, Hefty bags, etc., are all plastic.

Forcing supermarkets to provide garbage can-friendly brown paper bags to pack groceries would solve the problem.

Lillian Kufs, East Meadow