Solana Beach Says Goodbye to Plastic Bags

Solana Beach Says Goodbye to Plastic Bags

Shoppers in Solana Beach, California had their first taste of life free from single-use plastic shopping bags, and as would be expected the responses from shoppers ran the gamut. Some shoppers simply packed up their purchases in the reusable grocery bags they purchased while others were irritated that plastic bags were not available and paper bags would set them back 10 cents each. Solana Beach is the first city in San Diego County to ban plastic bags and they are following in the steps of 44 other California cities that have already banned these environmental hazards.

Plastic Bag Ban Could Save Lives

Plastic Bag Ban Could Save Lives

Mamaroneck, New York recently joined the ranks of fellow Westchester County city, Rye, in passing a ban on disposable shopping bags in an effort to go reusable. The Village Board of Trustees in this city 23 miles north of New York City unanimously approved the law that banishes both paper and plastic disposable bags and will go into action on January 16, 2013. The law gained momentum due to the hassles incurred by plastic bags, such as blocking and clogging waterways and sewers, and the negative impact the bags have on the environment when they sit in landfills.

NPR Asks About Disposable and Reusable Shopping Bags

NPR Asks About Disposable and Reusable Shopping Bags

In a segment titled TELL ME MORE, Michel Martin of NPR News recently conducted an interview with Michel Bolinder of the group Anacostia Riverkeeper and Nick Gillespie, the editor-in-chief of the libertarian magazine, Reason. These gentlemen sat down together to discuss the pros and cons of fees or taxes levied against disposable plastic bags and outright bans on these disposable bags, as well as the environmental and societal impact of measures taken to curb plastic bag use in favor of reusable shopping bags.

Carmel and Pacific Grove Latest California Cities to Ponder Plastic Bag Ban

Carmel and Pacific Grove Latest California Cities to Ponder Plastic Bag Ban

At the rate things have been going it should not be long before there are more cities in the state of California with bans on disposable plastic shopping bags than cities and towns without such bans. Northern California is a hotbed of bag ban activity, although the southern portion of the state has been making tremendous strides in the past year. Carmel-by-the-Sea and Pacific Grove are two of the more recent California cities navigating the plastic bag ban waters in favor of going reusable for grocery bags and shopping bags.

Eugene, Oregon Working to Encourage Reusable Shopping Bags

Eugene, Oregon Working to Encourage Reusable Shopping Bags

Plastic bags are not very popular in Eugene, Oregon, so a recent move to ban them has not caused much of a stir. And the switch to reusable bags has found support from organizations that typically do not back plastic bag bans: grocers. More than 60 local businesses that range from mom-and-pop shops to major chains in the Eugene area have announced their support of the ban. There is still some work to be done, but in the best-case scenario, the folks of Eugene can be free from plastic bags in as little as 6 months.

Big Island Bans Plastic Bags

Big Island Bans Plastic Bags

Hawaii is known for its stunning natural beauty and this environment is very much tied into the culture and the day-to-day life of those who call the island chain home. This makes unsightly litter all the more unsettling. To help protect the beauty and integrity of their home and to do right by the environment the Hawaii County Council approved a bill to ban plastic bags on the Big Island in favor of reusable bags for shopping and groceries. The bill barely passed with the 5 minimum votes needed to get the measure in front of the mayor, Billy Kenoi, who in turn waited till the last day possible to sign the bill into law.

Mukilteo Encourages Sustainability and Reusable Bags

Mukilteo Encourages Sustainability and Reusable Bags

Washington State is quickly becoming a hotbed for reusable shopping bags among more and more plastic bag bans. As another city recently passed ordinance number 1294, also known as the Solid Waste and Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance. The City Council voted on the ordinance with a strong 7-0 vote and starting January 1, 2013, retail establishments in the city will not be able to give customers plastic disposable bags.

Students Promote Reusable Grocery Bags

Students Promote Reusable Grocery Bags

Students from the small New York state town of Sleepy Hollow have some big plans. A group of middle school students in the Environmental Action Club have started a grassroots campaign to ban plastic bags and move to reusable bags in their hometown. They got the idea from the neighboring city of Rye which recently put a bag ban in place and from the movie ‘Bag It,’ a documentary about the environmental effect of plastic bags. Their efforts have attracted the attention of the mayor, Drew Fixell, who paid the club a visit to discuss the pros and cons of such a ban.

Austin Embraces Reusable Shopping Bags

Austin Embraces Reusable Shopping Bags

Several cities across the United States are weighing the pros and cons of banning plastic disposable bags. Austin, Texas is another city implementing such a ban in favor of reusable bags. The Austin Resource Recovery, the department handling the transition, has been working diligently on drafting and redrafting the bill to make sure they get it right. As with other cities that have passed similar bans, there is resistance and opposition to switching to reusable shopping bags, but the authorities of Austin have allowed the community to join the conversation and give feedback via public forums.

Seattle Bans Plastic Bags and Supports Reusable Bags

Seattle Bans Plastic Bags and Supports Reusable Bags

On December 19, 2011 the Seattle City Council passed a ban on plastic bags, and a short time later the mayor of Seattle, Mike McGinn, signed this bill into law. Banning plastic bags is quickly gaining momentum and similar bans have been put into place in San Francisco, CA, Portland, OR, and Brownsville, TX.

Take the trash out of the landfill – go reusable

Take the trash out of the landfill – go reusable

It’s becoming increasingly clear that landfill is no solution to the global garbage problem. It’s just a convenient – and all-too-temporary. What was convenient for the waste-dumper has turned out to be far from convenient for the rest of us; or for the overstressed environment. And while today’s landfill sites are a far cry from the giant holes in the ground common until the 1970s – which leaked like sieves into the local water supply – today’s tighter controls and regulations only delay, rather than eliminate, the environmental problems of landfill. Even a small change like going with reusable shopping bags is a move in the right direction.