Philosophy
Looks like things are getting nasty now.
From seattlepi.com...
Seattle's proposed 20-cent fee on disposable shopping bags would reduce the city's yearly garbage output by just .0014 percent, according to an analysis by a business-friendly think tank.
Proponents of the bag tax, the fate of which will be decided by voters Aug. 18, say the study is "a complete farce."
The Washington Policy Center said in its review that bag fee supporters estimate the levy would reduce the amount of garbage Seattle sends to an Oregon landfill by 50 loaded railroad cars a year. However Seattle generates about 100 railroad cars of garbage per day, six days a week. According to the American Chemistry Council, the lobbying group for the plastics industry which is spending more than $1 million to defeat the Seattle bag tax, plastic grocery and retail bags make up less than .5 percent of solid municipal waste in the country.
"Assuming the bag tax policy performs as supporters promise, it would reduce the yearly amount of garbage produced by Seattle by .0014 percent," says the WPC analysis.
Rob Gala, spokesman for the Seattle Green Bag campaign, dismissed the WPC study.
"There's no substantive analysis behind their claims," he said.
Seattle Public Utilities says people in the city throw away 360 million paper and plastic shopping bags each year - equal to 8,5000 tons of greenhouse gases. Of that number, about 240 million bags end up in the garbage - 4 percent of all residential waste by volume, SPU says.
In July of 2008 Seattle was one of the first major American cities to discourage the use of paper and plastic shopping bags by requiring grocery, drug and convenience stores to charge 20 cents per bag. The new rule was to take effect Jan. 1, but a coalition funded largely by the American Chemistry Council gathered enough signatures to keep the ordinance from going into effect. That caused the City Council to ultimately ask city residents now they felt about "green" bag fees in next month's election.
Proponents of the bag fee say similar programs in Ireland have cut plastic and paper bag use by 90 percent. But critics say the fee is unnecessary and just one more tax placed on a tax-weary Seattle populace.
Recent polling suggests people in Seattle are against the idea of the disposable bag fee.
American Chemistry Council fights a proposed Seattle plastic bag fee
- Economics And "no Need"--printed Phone Books
It was bound to happen...the near elimination of the telephone book, particularly the "white pages". The phone companies wish to cut more costs and raise profits. A lost art... "Phone-book delivery disappearing" by Wendy Koch June 1st, 2011 USA TODAY...
- E. Coli In Dem Thar Plastic Bags...egads!
"Reusable Grocery Bags Contaminated With E. Coli, Other Bacteria" June 24th, 2010 PhysOrg.com Scientists at the UA and Loma Linda University found that reusable grocery bags carry more than just groceries. Samples taken from dozens of bags, which almost...
- California Plastic Bags
"California lawmakers pass bill to ban single-use of plastic bags at stores" by Doug Stanglin June 3rd, 2010 ONDEADLINE The California Assembly has approved a bill that would ban single-use plastic bags at supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores...
- The Voters Won In Seattle Plastic Bag Battle But The War Isn't Over
"Where Recycling Plastic Bags is Mandatory" by Kate Galbraith August 19th, 2009 The New York Times Earlier today I posted about how, despite Seattle voters’ rejection of a 20-cent tax on plastic and paper bags, the bag wars are likely to continue....
- Seattle Bag Battle
Will blood be drawn on this issue? I still think a compromise could be made. "Seattle is front line in grocery bag fee fight" by Phuong Le August 14th, 2009 Google News SEATTLE - Leaders of this famously green city last year passed the nation's...
Philosophy
Plastic bag issue--heating up
Looks like things are getting nasty now.
From seattlepi.com...
"Seattle bag tax wouldn't reduce garbage"
Seattle's proposed 20-cent fee on disposable shopping bags would reduce the city's yearly garbage output by just .0014 percent, according to an analysis by a business-friendly think tank.
Proponents of the bag tax, the fate of which will be decided by voters Aug. 18, say the study is "a complete farce."
The Washington Policy Center said in its review that bag fee supporters estimate the levy would reduce the amount of garbage Seattle sends to an Oregon landfill by 50 loaded railroad cars a year. However Seattle generates about 100 railroad cars of garbage per day, six days a week. According to the American Chemistry Council, the lobbying group for the plastics industry which is spending more than $1 million to defeat the Seattle bag tax, plastic grocery and retail bags make up less than .5 percent of solid municipal waste in the country.
"Assuming the bag tax policy performs as supporters promise, it would reduce the yearly amount of garbage produced by Seattle by .0014 percent," says the WPC analysis.
Rob Gala, spokesman for the Seattle Green Bag campaign, dismissed the WPC study.
"There's no substantive analysis behind their claims," he said.
Seattle Public Utilities says people in the city throw away 360 million paper and plastic shopping bags each year - equal to 8,5000 tons of greenhouse gases. Of that number, about 240 million bags end up in the garbage - 4 percent of all residential waste by volume, SPU says.
In July of 2008 Seattle was one of the first major American cities to discourage the use of paper and plastic shopping bags by requiring grocery, drug and convenience stores to charge 20 cents per bag. The new rule was to take effect Jan. 1, but a coalition funded largely by the American Chemistry Council gathered enough signatures to keep the ordinance from going into effect. That caused the City Council to ultimately ask city residents now they felt about "green" bag fees in next month's election.
Proponents of the bag fee say similar programs in Ireland have cut plastic and paper bag use by 90 percent. But critics say the fee is unnecessary and just one more tax placed on a tax-weary Seattle populace.
Recent polling suggests people in Seattle are against the idea of the disposable bag fee.
American Chemistry Council fights a proposed Seattle plastic bag fee
- Economics And "no Need"--printed Phone Books
It was bound to happen...the near elimination of the telephone book, particularly the "white pages". The phone companies wish to cut more costs and raise profits. A lost art... "Phone-book delivery disappearing" by Wendy Koch June 1st, 2011 USA TODAY...
- E. Coli In Dem Thar Plastic Bags...egads!
"Reusable Grocery Bags Contaminated With E. Coli, Other Bacteria" June 24th, 2010 PhysOrg.com Scientists at the UA and Loma Linda University found that reusable grocery bags carry more than just groceries. Samples taken from dozens of bags, which almost...
- California Plastic Bags
"California lawmakers pass bill to ban single-use of plastic bags at stores" by Doug Stanglin June 3rd, 2010 ONDEADLINE The California Assembly has approved a bill that would ban single-use plastic bags at supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores...
- The Voters Won In Seattle Plastic Bag Battle But The War Isn't Over
"Where Recycling Plastic Bags is Mandatory" by Kate Galbraith August 19th, 2009 The New York Times Earlier today I posted about how, despite Seattle voters’ rejection of a 20-cent tax on plastic and paper bags, the bag wars are likely to continue....
- Seattle Bag Battle
Will blood be drawn on this issue? I still think a compromise could be made. "Seattle is front line in grocery bag fee fight" by Phuong Le August 14th, 2009 Google News SEATTLE - Leaders of this famously green city last year passed the nation's...