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Cities around the globe are banning plastic bags or considering bans in their environmental plans
Every week, it seems, we come across news articles about cities and municipalities banning the use of plastic bags in grocery stores. From San Francisco to New Delhi, people are considering the environmental costs of using plastic bags and are deciding it’s just not worth it anymore.
We just decided to start a list of the news articles about plastic bag bans (or even those cities considering it). We’ve just added a few links so far, but will continue to add more.
Please tell us about any (including your own city or town) that you come across in the comments section below.
Global news:
John Roach for National Geographic News
April 4, 2008
From Australia to the U.K., and all across the U.S., politicians and corporations are pondering banning or taxing plastic bags.
A hefty surcharge that began in 2003 in Ireland has spurred the public there to spurn plastic bags almost completely in favor of reusable cloth totes.
Plastic sacks are also taxed in Italy and Belgium. Grocery shoppers must pay for the bags in Switzerland, Germany, and Holland. Spain, Norway, and now the U.K. are considering a ban or tax as well. The political action in the U.K. on single-use plastic bags follows similar gestures earlier this year in Australia. Read entire story.
India’s capital tries to ban plastic bags and much else besides
Jan 29th 2009 | DELHI
From The Economist print edition
A CITY of 16m people, Delhi struggles to provide its residents with adequate water, decent sewers and steady electricity. But in a kind of urban leapfrogging, its failure to provide basic amenities has not discouraged it from pursuing modish causes. In recent months the city has revived its efforts to curb honking, smoking and the pestilence of plastic bags. Read entire story.
USA news:
Background: On July 23, 2008, Los Angeles became the second US city to ban the use of plastic bags. The resolution will take effect in 2010 unless the state of California passes a similar law first. Both laws would charge consumers 25 cents for paper or biodegradable bags.
San Francisco enacted a similar ban in November 2007. Baltimore recently rejected a ban. Seattle and Portland are also considering bans. Read entire story.
By Judy Keen, USA TODAY
Massachusetts is considering taxing them. Reno is talking about banning them. Plastic shopping bags are increasingly popular targets of governments looking for ways to help the environment.
“It’s a small, simple, modest act that makes people feel that they’re actually contributing” to reducing litter, waste and dependence on foreign oil, says Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, sponsor of San Francisco’s ban on petroleum-based plastic bags in big grocery stores. Read entire story.
West coast, USA news:
By Roger Renstrom | PLASTICS NEWS CORRESPONDENT
Posted February 25, 2009 LOS ANGELES (Feb. 25, 11:55 a.m. ET) — The Save the Plastic Bag Coalition won a round in court Feb. 20, but it may need more muscle to scuttle a proposed bag ban in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Read entire story.
Daily News Staff Writer
Posted: 02/20/2009 12:06:18 AM PST
Foster City could become the latest city to consider jumping on the bandwagon of banning plastic bags at grocery stores.
The plastic bags ban emerged as one of 26 green proposals unveiled this week. Read entire story.
Northeast, USA news:
By Bonnie Adler, Staff Writer07/24/2008
A forum held for all Westport merchants by RTM representatives from District Four at Patagonia Tuesday evening to discuss their proposed ordinance to ban plastic bags at the checkout counter of all Westport retailers drew a modest crowd, with residential supporters of the proposed ban far outweighing the number of retailers who attended. Read entire story.
Philadelphia will try again to ban plastic grocery bags
Friday, February 6th, 2009 at 3:35 pm - by Alan Tu.
You might remember that plastic bags were introduced so we could save trees. The idea was to use less paper so fewer forests would be clear-cut. Now we’ve learned that plastic bags are filling up our landfills and the ones that don’t make it that far are blowing around our streets like urban tumbleweed.
This week, two Philadelphia city councilmen re-introduced a bill that would ban the distribution of plastic grocery bags. Read entire story.
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