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{{B}}Paper or Plastic?{{/B}} Take a walk along the Chesapeake Bay, and you are likely to see plastic bags floating in the water. They have made their{{U}} (51) {{/U}}into local waterways and, from there, into the bay, where they can{{U}} (52) {{/U}}wildlife. Piles of them show up in landfills (垃圾填埋地) and on city streets. Plastic bags also take an environmental toll (代价) in the{{U}} (53) {{/U}}of millions of barrels of oil expended every year to produce them. Enter Annapolis and you will, see plastic bags{{U}} (54) {{/U}}free in department stores and supermarkets. Alderman (市议员) Sam Shropshire has introduced a well-meaning{{U}} (55) {{/U}}to ban retailers from distributing plastic shopping bags in Maryland's capital. instead, retailers would be required to{{U}} (56) {{/U}}bags made of recycled paper and to sell reusable bags. The city of Baltimore is{{U}} (57) {{/U}}a similar measure. Opponents of the{{U}} (58) {{/U}}, however, argue that paper bags are harmful, too: They cost more to make, they{{U}} (59) {{/U}}more resources to transport, and recycling them causes more pollution than recycling plastic. The argument for depriving Annapolis residents{{U}} (60) {{/U}}their plastic bags is far from accepted. Everyone in this{{U}} (61) {{/U}}is right about one thing: Disposable shopping bags of any type are wasteful, and the best outcome would be for customers to{{U}} (62) {{/U}}bags instead. Annapolis's mayor is investigating how to hand out free, reusable shopping bags to city residents, a proposal that can proceed{{U}} (63) {{/U}}of whether other bags are banned. A less-expensive alternative ,would be to encourage retailers to give{{U}} (64) {{/U}}to customers Who bring their own reusable bags. And this policy would be more{{U}} (65) {{/U}}if stores imitated furniture mega-retailer (超大零售商). Ikea and charged for disposable bags at the checkout counter. A broad ban on the use of plastic shopping bags is not the answer. |