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Seattle Green Bag Campaign
How many times have you been somewhere “nice,” just enjoying the beautiful serenity of nature only to find one of those nasty plastic shopping bags floating by?
If you were lucky it didn’t hold a pile of dog poop or a dirty diaper.
Seattle’s bag fee will be up for vote this August and the people of Seattle are experiencing some outside opposition. Who’s butting their noses into Seattle’s green business?
The American Chemistry Council for one. Those people behind those heart-string pulling commercials extolling the virtues of plastic primarily for the lives it saves when used in medical purposes. I don’t know that a plastic shopping bag has ever saved someone’s life. Though I’m sure a medical professional could MacGyver the crap out of one in a pinch I don’t feel that is a compelling reason to keep the things around. Yet, the American Chemistry Council spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to employ signature gatherers to ensure that the Seattle’s bag fee ordinance (passed last year) is on the 2009 ballot.
The facts:
Seattle’s City Council passed an ordinance in 2008 that placed a 20 cent fee on all disposable shopping bags at grocery, drug and convenience stores.
Funds collected would go to: Seattle Public Utilities for an educational campaign; bag giveaways for people who need assistance (such as low-income families or people who are homeless); and offset the costs of Seattle’s solid waste and recycling programs.
Stores would get to keep 5 cents from each bag to offset administrative costs of the ordinance.
Seattle does not want to ban plastic shopping bags, they want to curb over-consumption of the disposables.
A disposable shopping bag can take up to 1,000 years to degrade.
The annual cost of disposable shopping bags for retailers is estimated at $4 billion.
Petroleum is required to manufacture plastic bags. With skyrocketing fuel prices, who wants to “waste” it on a shopping bag.
The American Chemistry Council is funding the “Coalition to Stop the Bag Tax.” They represent companies like Exxon and Dow. They do not live in Seattle. They need to butt out.
I no longer live in Seattle either but feel that I can lend my support to the people of Seattle as they attempt to govern their own city by getting the word out.
Resources:
American Chemistry Council
MacGyver
Myth Busting: The Truth about 10 Common Bag Fee Myths
Seattle Green Bag Campaign
5 comments:
I *hate* plastic bags. Did you know when Ireland started charging people for them - less than $1 - more than 90 percent stopped using them? I hope that happens here.
Yeah here in the UK places like TK Maxx, that's TJ Maxx to you, charge for a plastic bag.
Many shops just don't have them anymore and in the supermarkets they make it so difficult that most people now bring there own containers or bags from home. Also all the supermarkets give you points on your shopping card if you do it too.
When I've travelled to France they don't have plastic bags at all. It's excellent and way ahead of the UK. Just wish they'd get their dogs to stop pooing on the pavements! They'd get a massive fine if they did that here!
I like the cloth bag deal and its growing around here. I think due to saving five cents per bag at check out.
Hey there : )
just letting you know we used this over at awop. Thanks!
kim g.
Welcome to my site. My son now has us all recycling and I have invested in the eco-friendly bags. I have to admit, even though I have them in the car, I sometimes forget to take them with me...I am getting better.
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