Seattle’s Ban on Plastic and Styrofoam
Tuesday saw Seattle residents given the opportunity to voice their opinion on Mayor Greg Nickel’s proposal to ban Styrofoam containers, and impose a fee on plastic and paper bags at the checkout at supermarkets and local stores. And from what is slowly sliding out over the internets, the idea has been met with a warm reception.
The proposal was be enacted in a two stage process. Beginning in January of 2009, all foam products would be banned, but restraints and grocery stores would be allowed to switch to plastic products if they hadn’t found a biodegradable replacement. The second stage would go in to effect by 2010, at which time all plastics would be banned, leaving only biodegradables.
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During the January and July period, a 20-cent per bag fee would be imposed in the checkout line at all grocery, convenience and drugstores.
The Seattle Post Intelligencer quoted Ravenna resident Liz Tatchell as saying she thought it was “…a great step in the right direction,” and “It’s more than just the bags — it’s a lifestyle change.” They added that “nearly all of the dozens of Seattleites… supported the proposal.”
Naturally, there was some opposition from representatives of the grocery industry who want a flat fee rather than a per-bag charge. But on the whole, it looks like Seattle residents are ready and willing to make the change to a more environmentally friendly future.
credit: Zainub at Flickr under a Creative Commons license
this is good, very good for green effort worldwide.
Stop Plastic Bags by Grabbing Free Reusable Bags from ReusableBagsGiveaway.com
While searching for some green tips to replace my bathroom faucet, I came across this site: ReusableBagsGiveaway.com. I was skeptical at first that wondering what company will giveaway reusable bags. Well, when I landed on their site, I was immediately blown away by the free reusable bags that they’re giving away. Not only the bags are free, but the bags must be coming from the hands of designers, they’re stylish and chic. I quickly order my free reusable bags, the only cost to me is the shipping fee of $4.99, and the shipping fee actually covers up to 4 bags, so I pick 2 more bags of other styles and finished my checkout.
A few days later, I received the package, and the reusable bags are so good that actually when I carry them to work, people are all asking me where did I get the bags.
Afterall, it’s really eay to go green, stay stylish and cheap.
It should be done nationally. Every place they have done it has had a dramatic reduction in plastic bags and waste. And the solution is simply keeping a few cheap reusable bags in the car.
This rocks!!! I wish we could do this here in Los Angeles. I always try to get out of the store with as few bags as possible, and it’s amazing how hard it is. They will ask you three times in a row if you’re really sure you don’t want a bag. Then they’ll walk away and somebody else will walk up and double-bag your stuff before you’re done paying the bill.
I really don’t understand why they think you need to double bag a single-item purchase! I usually take it out and make a point of saying to them, “It’s already packaged in plastic. I don’t need another bag.”
Seattle ROCKS!!
I wish I could get this to happen here in Los Angeles.
Maybe starting a petition would do it?
This is not the solution. The system punishes people who do reuse plastic bags as garbage bags for the kitchen, bathroom, other rooms, lunches (when they could leak), etc. We, the consumer already pay for the grocery bags. Doing this will not lower prices, but will force the people who reuse their grocery bags as garbage bags to buy them. Does that really solve the problem? If you ban plastic bags, ban the small garbage bags, this will force people to reuse their grocery bags. It will not add an extra cost to low income families to buy garbage bags that they didn’t before and it will not force them to buy reusable bags. Furthermore, you are subconsciously teaching them to reuse. I’m not saying that reusable bags are not good. We should use them and only take enough grocery bags to reuse. You are only shifting the problem if you ban grocery bags to more garbage bags being bought and used. Solve the problem properly, don’t shift it to somewhere else. Furthermore, look at the garbage problem properly, alot of homes have small garbage bins that they use bags for and then the city makes them put all their garbage in large garbage bags, to that it would be more efficient to pick up. Don’t you think that’s a problem?
It’s about time, I recently lived in Germany where non-reusable cheaper type plastic bags found in America aren’t even available. The grocers are afraid people will go to other grocery stores to avoid the fee but ban them everywhere and that isn’t an option.
Bravo. Would be nice to see more of this.
Go Seattle! Seattle like totqally ROCKS. I hope others will follow.
JT
http://www.anondo.alturl.com
I wish they would do this in Portland. That way the grocery stores would make better bags and not double / triple bag everything. It’s such a waste of their own money. Spend 10 cents for one good bag or 7 cents each for three shitty bags.