Plastic bag ban
Yesterday my city council unanimously approved a ban on plastic shopping bags. Unlike NYC's outdoor smoking ban, I support this legislation, but it's not without potential pitfalls. The obvious issue is that many households use their plastic shopping bags, and this will force people to buy them. I use them to pick up dog poop and line small trash cans, for example. Then there's the question of how much these bags really contribute to litter and pollution. It certainly seems like they play a major role, but I don't have any data to support that.
There is also concern over the implications for poorer families, although I think that the law deals with this as fairly as possible. Paper shopping bags will still be available for consumers who do not supply their own reusable bags, at a cost of 5¢ per bag. Low-income shoppers will be exempt from the tariff, meaning that they won't be forced to buy expensive reusable bags, and won't be punished for it. It remains to be seen just how individuals and families will qualify for the exemption and what they will have to do to prove it to the cashier, and these details are important.
Like so many things in politics, this is an imperfect solution to a complex problem. I'm hopeful it will have a positive impact on the environment without hurting businesses or consumers.
There is also concern over the implications for poorer families, although I think that the law deals with this as fairly as possible. Paper shopping bags will still be available for consumers who do not supply their own reusable bags, at a cost of 5¢ per bag. Low-income shoppers will be exempt from the tariff, meaning that they won't be forced to buy expensive reusable bags, and won't be punished for it. It remains to be seen just how individuals and families will qualify for the exemption and what they will have to do to prove it to the cashier, and these details are important.
Like so many things in politics, this is an imperfect solution to a complex problem. I'm hopeful it will have a positive impact on the environment without hurting businesses or consumers.