I'd like to propose a bill that would allow citizens of Maine to charge $10 for every stupid bill like this one that comes up each year. We had this bill (although a different fee) once already, so somebody changes up a few things and then calls it their bill about a year later.

It is not just Plastic Bags clogging up landfills, recycling could be expanded in this state, but it never is or educated to others because the state expects us to pay in the end in order to educate our fellow mainers.

In the aritcle it states how amazed Nutting was with the amount of plastic bags that went out the door at a recent supermarket.

Let me tell you I am amazed at how many idiots I hear about in Augusta all the time coming up with these bright ideas.

Nuttings concern is these bags end up in a landfill, was Nutting following these people from the supermarket home to see if they threw them away? or did Nutting follow them home to see if they were perhaps already educated about recycling these bags and saved them aside for the next trip to the store.

Welcome to Maine, where you pay for your fellow citizens actions, even if the bright idea come from Augusta.

So let’s go back to paper then. I can place a lot more food in a paper bag than I can in a plastic bag. Granted I cannot carry six large paper bags at once I know I can fit the same amount of food into 2 or 3 large paper bags. When I was younger I was a bagger at a local food store. We only had paper bags so you learned how to make things fit. It was playing Tetris with food long before the game Tetris came out. You can still get paper backs at Hannaford if you request them but nobody knows how to pack a paper bag anymore and while I do prefer to get most of my food at Walmart because it's a lot cheaper than Hannaford the cashier just shoves things into the plastic bag without much thought as to what is going in it.

Am I supposed to always carry a reusable bag(s) with me in my car? Are those that walk, take a bus or cab should always leave home with a bag(s) incase they decide they might want to swing into a grocery store and get some food but if they don't, they will get charged a fee for each plastic bag that holds very little? What about those using food stamps? It's obvious they lack funds because they are using food stamps but are you going to charge them a dollar for their 10 plastic bags?

When I purchase a 12 pack of soda I know I will pay an extra sixty cents but I get it back when I return my cans. Is the State of Maine going to refund my 10 cents per bag if I bring them back as well?

I am just going to start asking for paper bags when I go to Hannaford and as far as I am aware Walmart does not offer paper bags but their bags are so thin to begin with they have to double them up if an item(s) are heavy, which means I would have to pay 20 cents for that single bag.

I could go on but the amount of dumb in the article is making my brain hurt.

P.S. Walmart is spelled as one word now. They dropped the hyphen a few months back even though most of their signs do not reflect the change.

I would argue that if lawmakers don't want the plastic bags, then eliminate them. Adding a tax is not going to make someone buy a $3 reusable shopping bag. Make supermarkets use paper or recycled paper bags. Why put an undue burden on the shopper for an environmental problem that was caused by the stores to begin with? Lawmakers have no guts anymore, no juevos.

I use those bags to fill small waste cans in our house. Would Mr. NUTting prefer I bought a box of small waste can liners? A bag is a bag is a bag. And may I be the first to say that this waste of legislation should be...yup...bagged.

It would help if they put more than one item in each bag. BUt they hace biodegradable plastic bags now. All they have to do is mandate the use of those if they are so worried about it. This is just a way for teh state to steal more money from us. they just need to learn how to use the money they have already taken from us in a more efficient manner. We should cut the legislature in half. That would save us plenty of money.

Lets see, Mr Nutting, since we IMPORT trash from other states to dispose of in our landfills, do you think by adding another tax to Maine residents you will really reduce the number of plastic bags that make their way into landfills - or perhaps will there be no net result in the volume of bags that are not recycled? Perhaps Mr Nutting owns stock in the company that makes the reusable totes? Oh - I get it now, they do it in Ireland so of course it would work here also. Well in many countries they execute corrupt political leaders - so perhaps we could begin to follow suit here as well? Perhaps if the legislature stopped proposing stupid bills they would reduce their own carbon footprint and the world would be a cleaner place. I wonder just how many green house gasses are produced with the introduction of one of these bills? Do I hear a mandatory "climate change" fee attached to each new bill - paid for by the party that introduces the legislation???? That might reduce the garbage that keeps coming out of Augusta.

Good thing that my pockets hold a never ending bankroll for the idiot in Augusta!

I'd like to enact a bill that wherein we can automatically remove our legislature's members by a solid vote in each area

GOD I HATE THIS STATE

NO WONDER EVERYONE IS LEAVING OR CONSIDERING SUICIDE

ITS SO LAME

IF THEY DON'T WANT PLASTIC BAGS USED,THAN JUST DO WHAT SAN FRANCISCO DONE OUTLAW THEM DON'T PUT A FEE/TAX ON THEM,MAKE THE STORES GO BACK TO PAPER,GEE MORE PAPER USED,PAPER MILLS CLOSING MAYBE THESE TWO CONFLICT

A similar bill was tried (and failed) last year with a higher fee threatened if memory serves.

I began bringing my own bags to Shop & Save right afterwards...voluntarily... several of them made from recycled worn out jeans. I've noted that a lot more people stand in line with their own bags as well since. Did this legislator do any research with the stores to ask if there was an uptick in reusable bag use?

And who ever heard of a "sin tax" the state didn't feel free to redirect to other budget priorities first chance they get?

hard to believe we pay these lawmakers in augusta...

His name says it all.

Request paper bags at the supermarket... and they fill them right to the top so theyexplode before you even get to the car. When you get home you find your hamburger crushed under canned goods. Bread jammed down the side of the bag with the 2 litre soda bottles. Get plastic and they give you 10 bags for the same ammount of groceries... 2-3 items in a bag. But still the same lack of care in packing. My solition? Ban the damn things and teach these slackers some work ethics so they can properly bag groceries. After all it doesn't take a collage degree.

I wonder what a 200 foot roll of plastic wrap is going to cost me?

WOW! Is Mr Nutcake....oops, I mean Nutting for real? This state will continue to suffer until these jokers are voted out. Talk about a waste of time. I hope Mr NUTting can read what the people here are saying about his idea. I will only add this to the mix. It is better to keep your mouth closed and have people think your an idiot, than to open it and remove all doubt.

Does Nuttings know that grocery stores credit customers when they bring the reusable bags?

If you want to avoid putting plastic bags in landfills - make it illegal to use plastic bags. Why all the fluff on this bill?

why not put a tax on sneezing....25 cents for everytime you sneeze in public....

guess the stores could take a lesson from BJ's or Sams, NO BAGS AT ALL

Richard, if that happens I will be broke..lol

Who elected this John Nutting? Has he bothered to think beyond lunch ? This is going to cost the stor owners as they will now have to keep records of plastic bags sold. The State is going to have to keep records of bags sold and money collected. More State employees ? We will need Plastic Bag Police. Bring in trash from outside the State. Who will keep records of those plastic bags ?

bring back paper bags and hire a grocery packing zar to make sure eggs are on top and cans are on the bottom and pay him more than any of us would make as a legislator. Sounds like a Maine Idea? yoohoo Augusta... there is a big nasty bear on the hill and its called the BUDGET! the little plastic bags aren't going to save you... SO GET TO FREAKING WORK YA BUMS!! Maybe they just purpose bills like this for their comedic value right? They are bored on the hill and need something to laugh at.. this is a good one.. and the gut buster is trying to get us to swallow that the money is coming back for our recycling efforts "gasp" can you say lost in the general fund? ohhh your so funny John Nutting , but the sad thing is .. you don't get out much do you?

I'll agree to this if I can bill the state and get paid for the trash I have to pick up off my lawn everyday. which equals to about 20 lawn bags worth a year and my time which should equal the amount of a welfare check for 4 a month, every month......

I propose a bill that requires all food to be sold in bulk. Place the food in barrels and let the consumer scoop it into store=approved containers. Then weigh each item at the checkout, Then there will be no waste from packaging/bags.

Good idea....Just bring you own bags...and pack the items yourself like they do in England.

Aren't most of the bags biodegradable now??? Well it is up to the store to provide either paper bags or biodegradable ones...the customers should not be responsible to pay for their bags....stupid idea! If they want us to shop in their store...they need to make the changes.

What about self checkout?? Gonna have to start putting the bags in machines for 10cents a piece or what?? i reuse almost every plastic bag i get... plus... paper bags suck.. one tear or one wetspot and its junk!! MORONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quote from the first poster: "Let me tell you I am amazed at how many idiots I hear about in Augusta all the time coming up with these bright ideas." Idiots coming up with bright ideas is an oxymoron, isn't it?

New York City's mayor also wants to impose a tax on plastic bag usage. I heard it on 1010 WINS news radio a few months ago. He proposed it not out of environmental concerns but because the Big Apple needs new sources of revenue.

Sen. Nutting (D-Leeds) says San Francisco does it so it must be a good idea. San Francisco? You've got to be kidding! I left Maine partly because of lunacy like this. Now San Fran Nan Pelosi and her ilk is driving all the Kalifornians into my adopted state of Arizona. The Golden State is being driven into the ground by dumb policies like this and it's spreading across the country. Come to think of it, now that San Fran Nan is the Speaker of the United States Congress, how long before the entire country is in the crapper like Kalifornia? Oh btw - Governator AH-nold is NOT a Republican, he's a RINO.

Mr. Nut-ting must not have much on his agenda. Can you imagine paying 10 cents per bag...that is silly; a penny would not be a bad idea. Some grocery stores down here...the bargain ones...charge you 3 cents for a paper or plastic bag...and guess what.. people bring in their own bags. Now there's an idea, don't throw those plastic bags away..save them for the next trip to the grocery store and you won't have to worry about the bag fee, plus you'll save the birds, petroleum, and stop filling up the landfills with this plastic trash. When I go to the grocery store I always ask for paper bags; I use them for garbage can liners.

We use store bags as can liners, for carry shoes and boots, for cleaning rags. Now I guess we will have to go out and buy bags. Seems Augusta seems to think taxesand fees are the answer. We will bet bailed out by the feds. and all the programs will come back and in a year or two we will be n the red again. We just keep sending the same people back time and time again. We need to think before we vote. Story saysy Califorina did it, arn't they sending out IOU's for tax returns? Thats what we need... Can't wait until I can retire and move away from here, and yes, take my retirement funds and taxes with me.... Maine, the way life should be?

I'm sure Mr. Nutting needs to research what type of plastics bags are available in Maine. Does anyone have his address, I think we all should mail him all our extra plastic bags. He seems to be an expert on what problems they cause. So I am sure he would welcome the oppurtunity to be the one who decides where to dispose of them. So does anyone know his address? I want to start sending my extra bags to him, since he seems to think he has the answer.

1,000,000 dimes later in the state's coffers and I'll bet there won't be one less plastic bag in any given landfill. Can't tax our food so tax the bags we carry our food out of the store with! Tax the human condition! Tax everyone that doesn't have at least 6 arms! Idiots.

Can someone please explain to me how you use a plastic shopping bag as a cleaning rag? That sounds a bit far-fetched. I think taxing those things is a wonderful idea. What can everyone take 3 seconds to grab a few bags before heading to the store?

How about that.......John Do Nothing is at it again. Wasn't Nutbag discouraged when he tried to get his last bill passed. I will happily pay the 10 cent tax on plastic bags at the grocery store. I will save them all and they will end up on Nutbags lawn.

This is a sensible policy that nudges folks in a needed direction. Yes it will sometimes be less convenient, but it isn't the disaster that so many of these irrational comments and screeds suggest.

This is really a hoot! We are all in economic struggle and let's go ahead and charge the people of Maine that can barely afford the gas to go grocery shopping in this state with the high cost of food and force them to get a reuseable bag.. hence how many would I need? reuseable bags?? I feed a famiy of 7! and shop monthly! Hello I would need probably 30 of those reuseable bags they mention!

I use the plastic for the kids stuff when they go to friends houses, and by the time of the end of the month comes those bags are pretty much all used up and gone again.. so this bill is not something that I forsee as a solution to the landfill.. maybe if they allow us to bring these back for our $$ that we paid for I can see it, we do it with bottles and cans. But come on.

Paper oh yah let me go ahead and get that wet and watch your groceries fall over the ground and rip and everything else.. those are worthless and then they will complain of the trees being used for that.. so that is not a solution either!

I guess I am crocheting some reuseable bags because I all ready pay Five Cents a bag at Save A lot but they are worth it!

They are large and sturdy.. charge me Ten Cents for these little light weight plastic bags I think not!

Cguthrie....it is thinking like yours that makes you into sheeple. I do not need anyone to tell me that recycling is important and I don't need anyone telling me that they are going to charge more money to go grocery shopping. I reuse the bags I get to bring lunch to work and I use them for other projects around the house. Cguthrie should read the comment following hers and learn the lesson that just because some retard in state house dreams something up it should become reality. THINK FOR YOURSELF. You don't have much common sense, guessing you weren't raised in these parts.

WHY DON'T WE JUST GET A REFUND ON THE PLASTIC BAGS THAT WE PAY FOR? US OLD PEOPL COULD MAKE SOME MONEY JUST PICKING THEM UP FROM THE SIDES OF THE ROOAD. SOME OF THE MONEY THAT IS INTENDED TO GO TO THE MUNICIPALITY FOR RECYCLING WILL HAVE TO BE USED TO PAY FOR AN "ADMINESTRATOR", WHOPEE, ANOTHER JOB FOR SOME POLITICIANS KID THAT CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE. THANK YOU BDN FOR LETTING ME VENT.

Tax on plastic bags... Hmmmm.... a great new way to collect tax money. How about a toilet tax?