NYC may ban Tide pods

Once again, Democrats choose superstition over science

The New York Post reported, “New York City could soon ban Tide pods and other laundry-detergent packs under the latest green push from lawmakers.

“The Pods are Plastic Bill, introduced by City Councilman James Gennaro last week, would make it illegal to sell any pods and laundry sheets if they’re made with polyvinyl alcohol.

“Fines for selling the pods would start at $400, double for a second violation and top off at $1,200 for flouting the rules more than twice, if the bill becomes law. The bill would also require education and outreach to businesses on the ban for the first year.

“The law wouldn’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2026, if passed.

“Polyvinyl alcohol, or PVA, is used as a film in pods that dissolves in water during a wash cycle. But scientists counter that it breaks down into tiny microplastic pieces that still pollute waterways and slip through filtration systems.

“About 19,000 tons of PVA are used each year in pods, with more than 8,000 tons being left untreated in US water, according to a 2021 study.”

8,000 tons sounds like a lot. It’s less than 1 part per million.

When Tide pods first came out, Chuck Schumer thought they were candy and tried to eat one. Democrats have opposed Tide pods ever since.

This would be amusing, except we had 112,000 overdose deaths last year — most of them due to fentanyl — and no one in government has shown much interest in stopping it. Why, if I didn’t know better, I might start to think that drug dealers have paid off our politician.

Maybe Procter & Gamble should try that now that socialists in NYC may ban Tide pods. Given the restrictions placed on washing machines, I’d say Democrats want us to run around in unclean clothes.

The big worry about fentanyl deaths at NPR is not about the dead, but about the politics.

NPR reported in December, “In 2023 fentanyl overdoses ravaged the U.S. and fueled a new culture war fight.”

It said, “The issue has become a major flashpoint for politicians, with many Republican politicians blasting the Biden administration for failing to stop fentanyl smugglers.”

Biden won’t stop anything from crossing our border. I am pretty sure Putin could send a tank division through and Mayorkas and Kamala would wave them on through.

NPR was alarmed that we spend $40 billion a year on the drug war. That’s money we could be spending on Ukraine, n’est-ce pas?

New York City may be uncomfortable with Governor Greg Abbott sending a few illegal aliens to the sanctuary city, but it is the fentanyl that the cartels send to the city that is doing it in.

ABC reported, “The overdose crisis has reached historic levels in New York City, according to new data from the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

“Provisional data shows there were 3,026 overdose deaths in New York City in 2022, the highest total since the department began recording such incidents in 2000.

“Newly released data shows that overdose deaths increased by 12% from 2021 to 2022. Fentanyl was detected in 81% of drug overdose deaths in New York City, according to the data. Fentanyl is an opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, the department states.

“The report found that black and Latino New Yorkers had the highest rates of overdose death and the largest increases in rate from 2021 to 2022.”

Instead of taking on fentanyl, which is disproportionately killing people of color, Councilman Gennaro is taking on Tide pods, a white people problem.

And by white people’s problem, I mean it isn’t a problem at all. The EPA recommends the use of the very PVA that Tide Pod Gennaro wants to ban.

Bloomberg News reported, “Many products made with PVA are marketed to customers as more convenient — why deal with a big jug of laundry detergent? — and more environmentally friendly. The Environmental Protection Agency includes PVA on its Safer Choice list, a program designed to encourage the use of less harmful ingredients in products.”

Councilman Gennaro surely must be aware of this, given his status as the head of the council’s environmental committee.

Bloomberg said:

Many products made with PVA are marketed to customers as more convenient — why deal with a big jug of laundry detergent? — and more environmentally friendly. The US Environmental Protection Agency includes PVA on its Safer Choice list, a program designed to encourage the use of less harmful ingredients in products.

In a statement, P&G said PVA “does not contribute to microplastic pollution,” citing “extensive recent reviews by regulatory agencies around the world, including the EPA and [US Food and Drug Administration].” A spokesperson for True Earth said its PVA products help the “battle against single-use and short-lived plastic containers,” and pointed to the EPA’s seal of approval. Seventh Generation did not respond to a request for comment.

Laundry pods “have been a very important stride forward on the journey of sustainability in the laundry world,” said Alastair Dorward, chief executive officer of Dropps, which describes its pods as biodegradable. Dorward cited ease of use and reductions in emissions, shipping and water use; Dropps estimates it has avoided the use of nearly 6 million plastic bottles since 2018.

But what about the study from Varun Kelkar and Charles Rolsky that showed PVA is a bad, bad thing?

Bloomberg said, “Not everyone agrees with Kelkar’s and Rolsky’s research, which was funded by Blueland, a cleaning products company that competes with brands like Dropps but does not use polyvinyl alcohol.”

One peer-reviewed paper does not prove a thing. Peer-review stopped having meaning long ago when communists took over colleges. I must point out that Georges Lemaître, a priest, proved Einstein wrong and converted him to accepting the Big Bang Theory. Einstein admitted his mistake, but environmentalists never do.

And so even as 3,026 New Yorkers died of drug overdoses last year, NYC will ignore the problem, favoring a possible ban on Tide pods instead, because of one study funded by a competitor. Tide pod banning has a lot in common with the global cooling/global warming/climate change nonsense: Fund a study and gain more control over the lives of citizens.