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Paper or Plastic? How Austin, Texas Says NO to Both

Austin, Texas is gearing up to switch to reusable grocery and shopping bags with a ban on both plastic and paper disposable shopping bags that is going into action on March 1, 2013. The ban was approved by the Austin City Council in March of this year. Austin wanted to make sure they got the ban right the first time, so they drafted a law that would fit what the residents wanted. Residents were invited to speak at public forums and the bill was drafted and re-drafted before the final version went to vote.

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.

Colorado Town to Vote on How to Handle Plastic Bags

This November when the residents of Snowmass Village in Colorado take to the ballots they will also be polled as to whether they feel the town should regulate disposable plastic shopping bags in an effort to encourage the use of reusable grocery bags. The Town Council recently voted 3-1 to put the advisory question on the ballot to get a feel for what the residents want. Mayor Bill Boineau and Councilwoman Markey Butler have heard from residents both for and against the idea of a ban, so in order to determine what the people want and decide how they should precede they decided to let the residents weigh in and make that call.

Fort McMurray’s Curious Problem

The folks of Fort McMurray in Alberta Canada have been living with a disposable bag ban for about 9 months, and while there have been some bumps in the road things are going very well. In 2010 the regional council unanimously voted to ban single-use plastic and paper shopping bags after the residents handed over a petition in favor of a ban with 2,300 signatures. The ban went into effect in September 2011 and the residents have been adjusting to life with reusable grocery bags and shopping ever since.

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.

Reusable Produce Bags

In the battle against disposable bags some types of bags have been spared. Even under the strictest of bag bans plastic bags found in the produce department or in a bulk candy section usually make it out unscathed due to sanitary reasons. The inherent function of these bags does not make them any less dangerous to the environment. Plastic produce bags are not biodegradable and like their grocery shopping bag equivalents these bags are most likely destined to take up space in landfills or whether intentional or not become litter.

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

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.

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.

A Global Look at Plastic Bag Bans

Over the last several years cities have contemplated and/or put bans on plastic bags into motion. Those who support the bans cite the environmental impacts. But even still laws are sometimes not enough to stop the use of single-use plastic bags in favor of reusable grocery bags. Read more about cities and countries struggle of dealing with this growing problem.

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

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.