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Re: imp't environmental legislation (long)

From:

Sydney Jacobs

Reply-To:

Sydney Jacobs

Date:

Mon, 7 Feb 2011 17:08:53 -0500

Answers to Steve's post:
>
>
> First, I have been using reuseable cloth bags and recycling plastic  
> bags for over a decade, so none of MINE are in any waterways.
Yea for you!  One of the successes of Washington, DC's bag bill....and  
others like it around the  country -  and world  - is to encourage  
more people to  use reusable bags.  Retailers in DC  DO report  
significantly higher use of these bags....people will change their  
habits to avoid paying for something they previously got for "free".

>
> But, I still use plastic bags for things that have potential  
> bacterial contamination, so that I don't get things that I eat raw,  
> like fresh vegetables, contaminated with chicken "juice" and make  
> myself sick.  Plastic still has a VERY important role in public  
> health.

The only bags targeted in these "bag bills" are 'single use'  - those  
flimsy plastic bags  that have an average time-of-use of 12 minutes  
(That's the time it takes to get your goods from the store to home)  
and are found by the millions caught in trees, bushes, everywhere.    
The MD bill also includes paper bags, which are also considered single  
use.   Paper bags are detrimental to the environment in different  
ways, but again, bringing one's own bags to shop eliminates the need  
for them.   Other kinds of plastic bags  for other uses will still be  
available for now - -but before we had them, people managed to  get  
their produce and meats home and store them properly to avoid bacteria- 
causing illnesses.

>
> I seriously question whether there is hard evidence that the tax is  
> the REASON that "there are less  plastic bags in the waterways since  
> DC enacted its bag tax."  Since there has been a MAJOR effort  
> recently to clean-up the Anacostia, including removal of a LOT of  
> bags that have been there for some time, it is not unlikely that  
> there ARE less bags in that river, now.  However, that really  
> doesn't prove that less bags are now being discarded.
It's the people who monitor the rivers (Anacostia Watershed Society is  
just one) who report the improvement....Plastic bag taxes and bans are  
enthusiastically supported by conservation groups around the world.

> The kind of people who throw trash are not the kind of people who  
> make good decisions, so I doubt that the litterers are much deterred  
> by a 5¢ tax on each bag.
Well, 5 cents is 5 cents - -people who don't care about the  
environment DO care about spending money for things they didn't pay  
for previously....that is why bag taxes DO work.


> And, even bag usage, which is down, may only reflect the effect on  
> people who DO make good decisions, and were already recycling their  
> bags instead of littering with them.
Some single-use bags are recycled, but not nearly enough. And these  
bags are so light that even when they are put in a recycling bin, they  
often 'escape'' with the help of the wind.

>
> On the other hand, governments at all levels are rushing to levy new  
> "fees" to gain more revenue without APPEARING to "raise taxes."   
> And, this appears to be just one more of those political manuevers,  
> just like putting taxes on "bad" foods that "make us fat."
I applaud governments who find creative ways to raise  money for good  
causes, esp. in very tight financial times....most bag taxes in effect  
in the country, including the DC law and the proposed MD and VA bills  
use the revenue collected to improve the environment.  It's a fee you  
avoid paying by bringing your own bags to shop!

>
> And, why include PAPER bags, which biodegrade much more rapidly than  
> plastic?  That appears to be driven more by the the desire for  
> revenue than any need to protect the enviroment.

I respectfully disagree with you...see above.  And paper bags ARE bad  
for the environment, too....trees are cut down to make them and energy  
is used to produce them.
>
>
> With NO additional taxes, the same ENVIRONMENTAL benefits could be  
> had with a law that simply BANNED the use of plastic bags except for  
> isolating uncooked meats, fruits and vegetables in grocery bags.   
> That would eliminate MOST of the plastic bag uses that most probably  
> result in littering,
I would LOVE to see plastic banned - including those horrible single- 
use water bottles - -and some countries have already done this.   
That's the next battle....
sj