Whole Foods most recently eliminated plastic bags from its stores. The city of San Francisco has become the first in the nation to ban plastic bags at large grocery stores and pharmacies, eliminating an estimated 180 million plastic bags. Now most recently, BetterBagsColorado wants Denver to charge shoppers ten cents per plastic bag they use. This latest attempt to eliminate the use of plastic bags has created an outcry: from local councilmen and women to grocery stores themselves. At first the idea does seem a little too much. Government already controls enough of our lives anyway-right? Let's look at the argument a little more closely.

Obviously there's a good reason why some think we need to be charged ten cents extra per plastic bag.

First of all, plastic bags don't biodegrade and are filling-up our landfills causing more pollution. It's estimated that 500 billion to one trillion plastic bags are thrown away each year worldwide. That is an astonishing number! What are these bags made from? Petroleum products mostly, so reduce the use of them and we'll use less petroleum-a good thing.

But Americans have fallen in love with the convenience of plastic. I must admit, I do love the fact that I can grab anywhere from five to seven bags at once and haul them from the car to the house reducing the number of trips necessary to unload my groceries.

It really comes down to being a throw-away society. We've heard this over and over again. I remember throughout my childhood, being exposed on a daily basis to the ad campaigns always preaching the three Rs: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle.

Has convenience once again gotten in the way of progress?

As early as 15 years ago you couldn't find a plastic bag in the grocery stores back in my hometown. Now, there's virtually nothing that isn't put into them. I don't believe that we can't give up the convenience of these plastic bags. We did without them before, why not just ask for paper and take a few more trips from the car to the house? Think of it this way, you'll not only save our landfills from millions of plastic bags but you'll also get a little more exercise. Who could argue with that?