Document Actions
Banning Plastic Bags
desc
Plastic bags are non-biodegradable and can sit in landfills for up to 1,000 years. As they continue to clog municipal drains and flow out into the ocean, many local governments are considering a ban on the bags. Alternatives include cloth carrier bags, which are heavier, easier to recycle and less likely to blow away.
In March of 2007, San Francisco, CA was the first major municipality in the U.S. to ban plastic grocery bags in supermarkets and pharmacies. The city is looking to drastically reduce the 180 million plastic bags given away each year.
At least 30 rural Alaskan villages and towns have banned plastic bags.
A city council measure passed this January in New York, NY, requires stores that occupy 5,000 or more square feet or have more than five branches in the city to install plastic bag recycling bins. The stores also must use bags that read on the side: "Please return this bag to a participating store for recycling."
In Oakland, CA an ordinance requires retailers to use only compostable or biodegradable plastic bags or paper bags that are 100 percent recyclable and contain a minimum of 40 percent post-consumer content. Retailers with gross annual sales of less than $2 million would be exempt from the ordinance.
As of early 2008, the following cities in the U.S. are also considering fees or outright bans of plastic bags: Bakersfield, CA; Boston, MA; New Haven, CT; Portland, OR; and Annapolis, MD.
Annapolis, MD; Austin, TX; Los Angeles County, CA: New York City, NY; Philadelphia, PA; and Phoenix, AZ have all considered bans on disposable bags but instead approved bag recycling programs.
The state of Washington is now considering a ban on plastic bags.
Around the World:
In 2002 Bangladesh became the first country to ban plastic bags. A movement against them began in the 1980s in Dhaka, where bags were found to clog drains in the monsoon rains, causing flooding.
Introduced in 2002, Ireland's "plastax" on plastic bags has resulted in a 90% reduction in use.
