I am appalled by the number of plastic bags stuffed with merchandise that comes out of our local stores.

Faced by the increasing amount of plastic in landfills and even the ocean, I believe that every store (especially a popular store like Wal-Mart) has a duty to do whatever it can to halt this toxic invasion.

Although Wal-Mart, for example, has created attractive, inexpensive cloth shopping bags, it could do more to promote their use. The bags don’t hang at the entrance or at any of the checkout stations. Instead, they are found at the exit. Maybe one of their kindly “welcomers” could hand bags to everyone who comes in.

A day may come when plastic bags might be banned, or at least a tax levied on them to discourage their use.

Anna Freeman

Athens