Tell the Plastic Lobby to Stop Killing Single-Use Bag Bans
Some tweeters in California are declaring a victory for liberty and personal freedom this morning, so I'm thinking there's some good news to report. What's up, Golden State?
Are you finally allowing gays to get married? No...ok. So maybe you've made marijuana legal? No...not there yet. Alright, I give. What's up? Ahh, I see: You've preserved Californians' long-held freedom to bring their groceries home in throwaway plastic bags. Awesome!
Wait, wait. What? That's the big victory for liberty? Sounds a little fishy to me. Let's look for a second.
Here is a picture of liberty. Late yesterday, California lawmakers voted down what would have been a landmark statewide ban on single-use plastic shopping bags, the nation's first. This groundbreaking action would have followed leading efforts by Bangladesh, China and South Africa, not to mention several U.S. cities, including San Francisco (now there's a city where residents lack personal freedom, if I've ever heard of one).
The ban's failure is most definitely not good for our freedom to enjoy our planet's healthy environment. Plastic bags are the "urban tumbleweed" that litter our cities. They are also the scourge of landfills, which get filled with many of the 19 billion bags a year that Californians alone use. The ones that don't end up clogging waste disposal dumps clog the ocean instead. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a Texas-sized soup of floating plastic debris, a deathtrap for wildlife. And, according to the LA Times, plastic bags are the third most common trash item on the beaches state residents take pride in.
So, where does my God-given right to carry a plastic bag come in? Apparently, it's in response to a massive lobbying and PR campaign mounted by the plastic bag industry, the American Chemistry Council, which in reality is backed by the oil and petrochemical companies, such as Dow Chemical and Exxon Mobil, that make plastics. Amid a flurry of other accusations, the lobby group writes: "...the real blitz has come from those who would stifle choice and presume to tell shoppers how to take their groceries home from the store."
I'm not really convinced. The government presumes to tell us what we can and can't do all the time, and mostly this a good thing when the action either avoids general harm or promotes general good, and does not wade into moral territory. Minors can't buy alcohol, we have gun control laws, and we all have to wear seat belts. This bill was about banning a product that harms the environment and costs $25 million in collection and disposal costs ever year. There are plenty of easy alternatives to using disposable bags-- bring your own bag or buy a recycled paper one from the store for a few pennies (or free if you are on government assistance).
The group also uses a strategy of distraction, arguing that disposable plastic bags are better than disposable paper ones. That is up for some discussion, sure. However, the point is to promote the reduction of both. Starting with plastic bags is a good thing, and the question shouldn't be either/or. A ban on plastic bags will certainly increase paper bag use some, but it will also encourage many people to remember to bring a reusable bag to the store.
Unfortunately, the American Chemistry Council isn't just at work in California. When Seattle imposed a 20-cent fee for plastic or paper grocery bags, it successfully sponsored a referendum to overturn it. And it also unsuccessfully fought against Washington, D.C.'s 5-cent plastic bag tax that took effect in January 2010. These are just a few examples.
What's worrisome is that all around the country many cities and states, such as Oregon and Austin, Texas, are considering plastic bag bans or taxes. While there is legitimate debate about whether an outright ban or a tax is better, I have no doubt that the American Chemistry Council will turn up at every chance to fight either of these options.
Will you sign this petition to tell the American Chemistry Council to cease its campaigns to stymie government initiatives that will cut down on single-use plastic bags?
Photo credit: katerha via Flickr
Jess Leber
is a Change.org editor. She most recently covered climate and energy issues as a reporter in Washington, D.C
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