Bag Tax Fail: Turtles Will Continue Pooping Plastic Bags

Tear it down!

Oh, wrong thread. I forgot what we get to vote on in this city.

But I have an honest question. I remember growing up and into my early 20's always getting paper bags. Which I loved because I would use them as a garbage can (hardly any garbage, compost for food so it wouldn't get too soggy) and I never had to buy a plastic tub that inevitably needs to be washed out and matching plastic bags. But suddenly, they just stopped and all I could get were plastic. At first I could ask, but now many stores don't have em (except trader joes and maybe still met market). I noticed this about 18 ro 24 months ago.

Anyone know why?

Or ban free bags at grocery stores period.

Retailers would love being able to add incremental sales.

Environmentalists will be happy that trash isn't increased.

And people will bring their own bags.

Win, win, win.

That might have come out as sarcastic, but I was 100% serious.

I'm just a little confused, you think it was a good idea to to enact a law that put a 20 cent fee on paper and plastic bags, but you are in favor of a complete ban of free bags, essentially ensuring something along the lines of a bag fee...

I of course meant to say that you were against enacting the bag fee law...

Yes.

Not supporting this referendum doesn't mean that you hate the environment, want to support oil companies or want to see more plastic bags littering our streets and oceans. It just means that you don't think this is the right way to do it.

Laws aren't like simple rules that can be created and changed indiscriminately based on what you find out the effects to be, they need to be carefully crafted and well considered. Our government is designed to be a system where all viewpoints are taken in and change happens gradually without hurting various constituencies.

While this law would have probably reduced the number of plastic bags littering our sidewalks and filling our landfills (which EVERYONE would be happy to see), it was a hastily put together plan that didn't seem to have been well thought out.

For example, why was the fee 20cents? Why not 10 or 50? Why is the money raised here not being spent on some sort of vague "education" plan instead on something like litter pick up that directly impacts the problem?

With this referendum, were presented "something". For me, it was not good enough, thus I voted against it. "Something" is not necessarily better than "Nothing"

The better approach to dealing with plastic bag waste may be to require a transition to bio-degradable bags along with the charge. These bags cost more to produce but would've benefitted renewable industry, you know, like 'green' stuff and like everything.

And make the charge more like 10 cents, like you know? (the word 'know' voiced with an up-rising lilt to express a subconscious need for affirmation).

Yea, democracy.

Now, let's go actually do something. Encourage your friends to use reusable bags, see if your local store will do something to support no plastic bags, write some letters to Safeway/QFC/Albertsons types, go talk to store managers about getting signs like the ones at one store I was at to remind people to bring their bags (as opposed to leaving them in the car)

Hell, encourage retailers to voluntarily charge 5 cents a bag. They could justify it easily based on the public sentiment here (well, 48% of it anyways...) and use that money for environmental action.

You don't need LAWS to see things changed.

I don't know why the tyrant Nickels didn't just do a ban like Gavin did in SF. Nickels is such a moron.

So annoying! (The bag fee rejection, not the post.)