So, the conundrum is:
Single use bags?
Ban them?
Bag Fee?
Paper bags?
Reuseable bags?
• Remember to bring?
• Forgot mine?
• Always have one?
Answer - the Chico Bag
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Holiday promotion page from Chico Bag site
(no - I do not work for Chico Bag) |
As many readers may know, banning "single-use bags" is the latest trend. Seattle City Council just voted to ban them UNANIMOUSLY. Edmonds, Mukilteo and Bellingham have also banned them.
We've all seen photos or heard the stories about innocent wildlife dying or seriously threatened by the "single use plastic bags" which are so numerous they are almost uncountable.
People for Puget Sound and many other groups have championed the ban passed in Seattle and other local cities.
Well, many of us face the problem of getting to the store check out or hopping out of our vehicle and
"Doh! Forgot my bag, DARN!"
I have many, many (dozens) of beautiful reusable bags, in my broom closet and all over my office and full of books and papers. It seems like you pick one up every time you attend a public meeting! For FREE!
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| My broom closet FULL of beautiful, reusable bags! |
But fortunately, at one of these wonderful meetings, I was given a freehttp://www.chicobag.com/ Chico-Bag! And now I'm "hooked" (literally). I even bought one when I saw it for sale. I always have it hooked to my purse.
So, I always have it with me, and virtually never have to resort to a single use plastic bag. (I know I'm not that virtuous, but this really works!!!) Try one! They are cheap, handy, durable, hold a lot of groceries, and small when curled up in their little pouch. And they are CUTE!
So now Shoreline - How about it? A few years ago, several of us on the City Council suggested trying it. We were told by staff, we should wait till Seattle does it so as not to penalize our small businesses. So NOW Seattle, Edmonds, Mukilteo, and Bellingham have done it.
Yesterday,
Shoreline/LFP PATCH Blog did an informal poll. Banning the bags is now at 57%. Granted it's not a scientific poll, but there does seem to be support for the idea.
Here is the recent press release on the "Bag Ban" passed by Seattle City Council from
Environmental Groups Applaud Seattle City Council for their Leadership on Bags
Bag ordinance passes: plastic bag ban, 5 cents on paper bags. goes into effect 7/1/12
Seattle. The Seattle City Council today unanimously passed the Seattle Bag Ordinance (Council Bill 11734). This vote was applauded by the coalition of environmental groups – Environment Washington, Surfrider Foundation, People For Puget Sound, Sierra Club, Zero Waste Seattle, and others – who have been working to develop grassroots support for the ordinance.
Special praise goes to Council Member Mike O’Brien for his leadership on the bag ordinance and the phone book opt-out ordinance last year.
“This ordinance to ban plastic bags is part of a larger Zero Waste initiative that also includes a ban on styrofoam, citywide residential organics composting, and providing our residents and businesses with a chance to stop unwanted yellow pages deliveries. These are all concrete steps towards reducing unnecessary waste in Seattle,” said O’Brien. “We are saving the city money and we are reducing impacts on the environment. Building towards our waste reduction goals are also a key part of our overall efforts to be a carbon neutral city by 2050.”
The Bag Ordinance passed by Seattle City Council bans thin single-use plastic bags at checkout stands. The ordinance includes a pass through fee of 5 cents for paper bags. .
The Seattle bag ordinance has the same requirements as the Bellingham ordinance passed in July. Edmonds and Mukilteo have banned plastic bags and did not include a 4 cent carry-through fee.
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