Last year, I wrote a post asking Buffalo Rising readers if they could identify what these black and orange plastic handles were. I constantly find them strewn about the streets of the West Side, including Richmond Avenue and offshoot corridors.
The answer is: They are the carrier handles for the orange plastic bags that Buffalo News papers are slipped into before being deposited on doorsteps. Once all of the plastic bags are torn off, the delivery person is left with this black handle plastic handle, that gets tossed into the street. I find it incredible that, for years, I have found these strewn all over the West Side. It’s rather perplexing that Buffalo News allows this to happen.
The reason that I say “allows” is that I have repeatedly called the paper and voiced my complaints. I have even stopped down to News headquarters to implore that the delivery people stop senselessly polluting our neighborhoods. It’s bad enough that each paper is wrapped in plastic – what did we ever do without plastic bags?
One would think that The News would understand the harmful nature of plastic, by researching new biodegradable bags, or by simply stopping the earth-unfriendly practice altogether.
In the meantime, it would be prudent for The News to establish a new policy that delivery people have to return with all of the plastic handles after their routes are complete.
Lead image: Found on Ashland Avenue earlier today