Who Else Wants to Join the Plastic Bag Ban?
Image: ABCGO's Michael wrote about San Francisco's new ban on plastic bags earlier this week. This news has been getting a lot of attention and may in fact be the beginning of a new legislative trend.
Lawmakers in New York City are taking notice. Radio station WNYC reports that the topic was discussed at Friday's city council hearing. Council member Michael McMahon, chair of the sanitation committee, will draft legislation to enact a similar ban in NYC.
Recycle This, a Brooklyn activist group, received word that New York State assembly member Bill Colton plans to introduce legislation to ban petroleum based plastic bags from large supermarkets.
And New York State Senator Jim Alesi also wants to push the state in a similar direction by eliminating the use of plastic bags by 2012.
But this isn't just a US concern. Uganda's parliament has recently called for a ban on plastic bags, citing health and environmental concerns for the country.
Hong Kong is considering implementing a tax of 50 HK cents for every plastic bag (about .06 USD) ordered by major supermarkets, which is expected to be passed on to the consumer making shoppers pay extra for each bag.
And municipalities in British Columbia are asking local businesses to take voluntary measures at reducing the need for plastic bags.
More than likely any legislation proposed in the US will mirror the San Francisco ban. However, just by replacing one product with another won't necessarily change consumer behavior when it comes the petroleum based nuisance. People will be just as likely (and will perhaps even feel better about) using more of the alternatives, which may aleviate some of the environmental concerns but won't be likely to eliminate the rubbish problem. The only way to get rid of the need for bags altogether is if consumers change their habits and bring a bag for their purchases.
Tags: Home and Garden, National and World News, plastic+bags, policy
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March 31st, 2007 at 8:55 pm
It's great to see this idea catching on… Way back when sustainablog was literally just a few days old, I took note of an intiative in Ireland to ban the bag… unfortunately, the article I linked to is no longer available…
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Jeff McIntire-Strasburg
Senior Editor
Green Options
jeff@greenoptions.com
April 1st, 2007 at 10:38 am
The plastic bag thing, has been in operation in Ireland for a number of years, and it works very well indeed. There are any number of reasons for this, the least of them being any profound commitment to g policies.
Central to the success was the focus on practical things and not issues.
The bags are useless, in the same way a tabasco bottle is useless, they should have more than one use but they don’t. Numbers, how many of the blasted things can any house hold. Extra work, why pack a bag, only to unpack 10min’ later, when the trunk is doing the job. The annoyance factor,
you payed for the plastic bags separately after you had payed the other bills. But most important of all, you had to ask for them, they were not sitting waiting for you.
Almost no hectoring by people who have made and can afford choice in their lifestyles. How likely do you think the dulcet tones of Harvard(or similar) would receive a hearing in areas where the new yorker mag’ isn’t required reading on the throne.
People are just that, people. They are not stupid.
April 8th, 2007 at 3:22 am
I am thrilled by this turn of events. I can’t wait for the regular use of plastic bags to be one of ‘those things that used to happen in our parents’ time’ … you know, something that young kids look down on as silly and outdated. That day will come.
May 7th, 2008 at 3:32 am
We shouldn’t be wasting oil to ruin the environment this way, but I sure hope they find a new and comparable material that will be safe, those bags were very convenient!