# data[].attributes.body
C-Just updated today
R-Talks about which states banned plastic use and why and how
A-.Org
A- Very accurate
P- To be informative about the subject

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State legislatures have considered a number of measures to reduce the prevalence of plastic bags at grocery stores and other businesses.

Reducing bag use can mitigate harmful impacts to oceans, rivers, lakes, forests and the wildlife that inhabit them. It can also relieve pressure on landfills and waste management.

While some states are focusing on implementing effective recycling programs, others are imposing bans or fees to discourage the use of plastic bags altogether.

Bans and Fees

Eight states-California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont-have banned single-use plastic bags.

In August 2014, California became the first state to enact legislation imposing a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at large retail stores. The bill also required a 10-cent minimum charge for recycled paper bags, reusable plastic bags, and compostable bags at certain locations. The ban was set to take effect on July 1, 2015, but a referendum forced the issue onto the ballot in the November 2016 election. Proposition 67 passed with 52 percent of the vote, meaning the plastic bag ban approved by the Legislature remains the law. A detailed summary of the law can be found below. Voters also rejected a second measure, Proposition 65, which proposed to create an environmental fund with proceeds from a 10-cent charge for alternative bags.

Hawaii has a de facto statewide ban as all of its most populous counties prohibit non-biodegradable plastic bags at checkout, as well as paper bags containing less than 40 percent recycled material. Bans in Kauai, Maui and Hawaii counties took effect between 2011 and 2013, with Honolulu becoming the last major county to approve the ban in 2015.

New York became the third state to ban plastic bags in 2019 with passage of Senate Bill 1508. The law, which goes into effect March 2020, will apply to most single-use plastic bags provided by grocery stores and other retailers. Bags distributed at the meat/deli counter and bulk food area are exempt, as well as newspaper bags, trash bags, garment bags, bags provided by a pharmacy for prescription drugs, and restaurant takeout bags. The law allows individual counties the option of placing a 5-cent fee on paper bags, with 2 cents going to local governments and 3 cents to the state's Environmental Protection Fund.

Five other states enacted legislation in 2019-Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Oregon and Vermont. In addition to plastic bags, Vermont's SB 113 also placed restrictions on single-use straws and polystrene containers.

In 2009, the District of Columbia enacted legislation requiring all businesses that sell food or alcohol to charge 5 cents for each carryout paper or plastic bag.

Recycling Programs

States have a long history of pursuing legislation related to labeling, recycling, and reusing plastic bags. In 1991, Maine became the first state to enact legislation requiring recycling efforts at retail stores. The law prevents retailers from supplying plastic bags unless they provide a convenient storefront receptacle to ensure used bags are collected and recycled. Since then at least four other states-California, Delaware, New York and Rhode Island-and the District of Columbia have followed suit.

Legislation Summary

State lawmakers have introduced at least 95 bills in 2019 related to plastic bags. Most of these bills would ban or place a fee on plastic bags. Others would preempt local government action or improve bag recycling programs.

2011 CA S 567

Enacted

Prohibits the sale of plastic products labeled as compostable, home compostable, or marine-degradable unless it meets standard specifications. It provides for a civil penalty for a violation.

2019 HB 130

Enacted

Expands upon the existing at-store recycling program regarding the use of single-use plastic bags and limits stores subject to the program from providing single-use plastic bags for only specific uses.

2019 HB 1115

Enacted

Prohibits a retail establishment from providing single-use carryout bags at the point of sale or otherwise making the bags available to customers, with exemptions for certain types and uses of plastic and paper bags.

2017 HB 56

Enacted

Repeals the eight-year ban on the use of plastic bags by retailers on the Outer Banks.

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State legislatures have considered a number of measures to reduce the prevalence of plastic bags at grocery stores and other businesses.

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C- October 16, 2019
R-Yes!
A-.Org
A- accurate
P-To inform

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Millions of tons of plastic enter the environment every year, killing wildlife, releasing toxins, clogging drains, and marring landscapes. Bans or restrictions on single-use plastics-most commonly bags and straws-have exploded in popularity recent years as a means of addressing these problems. Over 125 nations and 240 U.S. cities and counties have banned or taxed plastic bags, several cities have banned or otherwise restricted the use of plastic straws, and several private companies, including Starbucks, have also taken steps to reduce their straw usage in response to widespread consumer pressure.

Yet, these bans remain controversial. Some businesses have pushed back against what they consider excessive regulation. Those in opposition have noted that some populations, including those with disabilities, may require the use of a plastic straw, and that taxes on plastic bags may constitute a regressive tax. Even the environmental benefits are far from certain: when plastic shopping bags are banned, use of other bags that are potentially worse for the environment -including thicker plastic bags using more plastic, or paper bags, with a larger carbon footprint - increases. Others maintain that banning single-use plastics uses valuable political capital that could instead be spent advancing more urgent and system agendas like transitioning to a low-carbon economy.

Our panelists explored the benefits and challenges of an increasingly popular, and increasingly contentious, approach to the problem of plastic pollution.

Panelists:
Lillian Power, Environmental Protection Specialist, District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE), Moderator Catherine Plume, Principal, BlueGreen Plume, LLC and Managing Director, (r)evolve
Matt Seaholm, Executive Director, American Progressive Bag AllianceJean-Cyril Walker, Partner, Keller and Heckman LLP

ELI members will have access to materials/a recording of this session (usually posted w/in 48 hours). If you are not an ELI member but would like to have access to archived sessions like this one, go HERE to see the many benefits of membership and how to join.

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Millions of tons of plastic enter the environment every year, killing wildlife, releasing toxins, clogging drains, and marring landscapes. Bans or restrictions on single-use plastics-most commonly bags and straws-have exploded in popularity recent years as a means of addressing these problems. Over 125 nations and 240 U.S.

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C-about three months ago
R-Yupper!
A-.Org
A-accurate
P-To inform

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0 have signed. Let's get to 2,500!

This petition's purpose is to outlaw the use of single-use plastic bags in the United States. Obviously this petition won't do it alone, but public support is absolutely necessary. Plastic bags (of the single-use variety, of course) are -- simply put -- killing the Earth. They look like jellyfish in the ocean, and while we may be able to tell the difference, jellyfish-eating sea creatures cannot. They ingest them and die. It isn't only sea creatures that are affected by our consumption of single-use plastics. Birds mistake shredded plastic bags as food and eat them. 100,000 marine animals are killed every year! One in every three leatherback sea turtles likely have plastic in their stomachs. And this isn't even beginning to touch on the process of making the bags.

Americans use about 100 billion plastic bags per year, which requires over ten million barrels of oil to manufacture. Do you know how much 100 billion is? For reference, one million seconds is eleven days. One billion seconds is about thirty-one years. 100 billion? 100 billion seconds is 3,170 years. That is how many plastic bags we use in America alone. And for what? Fifteen minutes of convenience? Plastic bags take over five hundred years to decompose, which they don't even fully do. They just degrade into microplastics that further pollute the environment. Back to the manufacturing, for every five plastic bags, 1 kg of CO2 is released into the atmosphere during creation. And CO2 is part of the climate crisis making our planet hotter.

The pros of invoking a plastic bag ban would include greatly reduced carbon emissions from America, one of the largest offenders. This would set a great example for other countries. There are virtually no cons to banning single-use plastic bags in our country. Over 200 cities in America have already banned plastic bags, and the rest of the country should follow.

Please sign this petition to show support for our planet. We are running out of time to save the Earth!

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0 have signed. Let's get to 2,500! This petition's purpose is to outlaw the use of single-use plastic bags in the United States. Obviously this petition won't do it alone, but public support is absolutely necessary. Plastic bags (of the single-use variety, of course) are -- simply put -- killing the Earth.

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C-Jan 28,2020
R-Fairly relative
A-.com (uh oh!)
A-accurate (i think...)
P-To inform

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In early January 2020, China joined the growing movement of more than 120 countries pledging to ban single-use plastics. The country of 1.4 billion citizens is the No. 1 producer of plastic waste in the world. It topped 60 million tons (54.4 million metric tons) in 2010 based on a September 2018 report titled " Plastic Pollution."

But China announced it plans to outlaw the production and sale of non-degradable bags by the end of 2020 in major cities (and everywhere by 2022), as well as single-use straws by late 2020. Markets selling produce will have until 2025 to follow suit.

The push to ban plastic took center stage in 2018 with massive promotions like the award-winning # StopSucking campaign, which featured stars like NFL quarterback Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bündchen and Hollywood actor Adrian Grenier pledging to give up single-use plastic straws. Now countries and companies are saying no to plastics by the dozens, and consumers are following along with them.

As the plastics-ban movement hits major milestones - such as China's latest announcement - we decided to define the bottles, bags and straws that are causing this global stir.

What Is Single-use Plastic?

True to its name, a single-use plastic is disposable plastic that's designed to be used once then tossed or recycled. This includes everything from plastic water drink bottles and produce bags to disposable plastic razors and plastic ribbon - really any plastic item you use then immediately discard. While these items can be recyclable, Megean Weldon of the blog and waste-prevention shop Zero Waste Nerd says that's hardly the norm.

"In reality, very few plastic items can be processed into new materials and products," she says in an email. "Unlike glass and aluminum, plastic isn't processed into the same item it was when it was collected by a recycling center. The quality of plastic is downgraded, so eventually, and inevitably, that plastic will still end up in a landfill."

Take a plastic water bottle. Most bottles say they can be recycled - and based solely on their easily recyclable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) composition, they could be. But nearly seven out of 10 bottles end up in landfills or tossed as litter. This problem increased when China decided to stop accepting and recycling plastic in 2018. For municipalities, that meant recycling became significantly pricier, according to The Atlantic, so many municipalities are now simply opting for the budget-friendly landfill over recycling.

Pair this landfill-first approach with the world's ever-growing plastic consumption - humans produce almost 20,000 plastic bottles per second, according to The Guardian and America's waste grew by 4.5 percent from 2010 to 2015 - it's no wonder the world is overflowing with plastic waste.

Plastic Could Outlive Us All

Think banning all of this plastic is overkill? There are some very solid reasons why it makes sense. First, plastic in landfills just doesn't go away. According to Weldon, a plastic bag takes 10 to 20 years to degrade, while a plastic bottle takes almost 500 years. And, even when it's "gone," its remnants remain.

"Plastic never breaks down or goes away; it only breaks into smaller and smaller pieces until they're so microscopic they can be found in our air and our drinking water," Kathryn Kellogg, author and founder of the waste-reduction website Going Zero Waste, says via email.

Some grocery stores have switched to biodegradable plastic shopping bags as a way to meet consumers in the middle, but research shows this is hardly a savvy solution. One study from researchers at the University of Plymouth in England analyzed 80 single-use plastic grocery store bags made of biodegradable plastic over the course of three years. Their goal? Determine just how "biodegradable" these bags really were. Their findings were published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Soil and seawater didn't lead to bag degradation. Instead, three of the four types of biodegradable bags were still sturdy enough to hold up to 5 pounds (2.2 kilograms) of groceries (as were the non-biodegradable bags). Those exposed to sun did break down - but that's not necessarily positive either. The small particles from degradation can quickly spread through the environment - think air, ocean or the belly of hungry animals who mistake plastic fragments for food.

Can't We Just Reuse Single-use Plastic?

Another reason many countries are prohibiting single-use plastics is because they shouldn't be reused, despite our best intentions. As many municipalities forego recycling, it's tempting to take matters into your own hands by reusing (and therefore "recycling") plastic bottles and containers. Sure, this may work for bags, but experts say to take caution when it comes to plastic bottles or food containers. One study in Environmental Health Perspectives showed that all plastics used in food containers and plastic bottles could release harmful chemicals if used repeatedly. (This includes those said to be free of bisphenol A [BPA] - a controversial chemical that's been linked to hormonal disruptions.)

While researchers are still analyzing the safety of repeated plastic reuse, experts recommend glass or metal to avoid potentially harmful chemicals. And according to Weldon, it's time we adopt a reuse mindset - be it cotton produce bags, stainless steel straws or a full-on zero-waste.

"The worst thing about any single-use item is that we devalue something to the point that we intend to throw it away," she says. "The convenience culture has normalized this destructive behavior and as result, we produce millions of tons of it every single year. If we change our mindset on what we consume, we will be more aware of the single-use plastic we use and how we can avoid it."
This story is a part of Covering Climate Now's week of coverage focused on Climate Solutions, to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Covering Climate Now is a global journalism collaboration committed to strengthening coverage of the climate story.

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What Are Single-use Plastics and Should They Be Banned?

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In early January 2020, China joined the growing movement of more than 120 countries pledging to ban single-use plastics. The country of 1.4 billion citizens is the No. 1 producer of plastic waste in the world. It topped 60 million tons (54.4 million metric tons) in 2010 based on a September 2018 report titled " Plastic Pollution."

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C-May 03, 2019
R-yes...?
A-.com
A-I think?
P-To inform

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As bans on plastic packaging gain steam in parts of the country - think New York's bag ban and Maine's expanded polystyrene foam ban - other state governments are moving in the opposite direction, clamping down on cities that want to ban or tax packaging.

Oklahoma became the latest state to adopt a so-called "ban on local bans" law April 23, when Gov. Kevin Stitt signed legislation preventing its cities and counties from acting against packaging.

The Sooner state joined Tennessee, which passed a similar law in mid-April, and North Dakota, where the governor signed a law in late March.

The quick flurry of activity in those states means at least 14 states now have laws banning their cities from acting. Most of the laws cover many types of packaging and containers, and all materials, but plastics seem to get most of the public attention.

Environmental groups and some cities decry the new state laws as making it harder to reduce litter and plastic pollution, but bag industry officials say making it a statewide decision recognizes the complexity of the issue.

"It's a victory for sustainable packaging, as well as consumers and businesses in those states," said Matt Seaholm, executive director of the American Progressive Bag Alliance in Washington. "Residents will not be forced to deal with a patchwork of ordinances, and they won't be encouraged by their government to use products that are worse for the environment."

But the idea of "bans on bans" has also become more controversial this year, even in some of the politically conservative states that traditionally are most supportive of the industry's positions.

In South Carolina and Alabama, for example, mayors are pushing back heavily against campaigns by the plastic bag industry and local business groups.

A ban on bans in South Carolina's state Legislature has likely stalled until 2020 in the face of opposition in coastal cities, many of which, like Charleston, already have bans or fees.

They argue that since they have to pay for much of the packaging waste cleanup, they should have authority. And they say bags gum up equipment in recycling facilities and raise costs.

Similarly, a bill in Alabama that would limit local government authority is meeting resistance from city councils in Mobile and Birmingham.

"The city of Mobile is being inundated by litter," said City Council member Joel Davies, who led a unanimous vote to oppose the state legislation. "If you've ever been out there and spent some time picking it up, you know that most of it is discarded containers for food and beverage items to be consumed off premises and also shopping bags, plastic shopping bags."

Mobile city officials say they have no immediate ordinances in the works but opposed what they call state preemption.

"It's a significant environmental problem which effects not only our economy but this beautiful environment we've come to all enjoy," Davies said. "I've been meeting with some concerned citizens and some concerned organizations over the last couple of months trying to look at what steps the city might take."

But supporters of the state laws, such ​ as Oklahoma's governor, argue that it's better to have a uniform state standard, rather than a patchwork of local ordinances that they say would create regulatory burdens for business and higher costs for consumers.

"I just don't think that we should be putting laws and rules on business from 500 municipalities," Stitt said, in an interview with Oklahoma City TV station KFOR.

The State Chamber of Oklahoma praised Stitt for signing the law, saying in a statement that it's "key to a healthy economy for consumers and businesses."

"Without this law, cities across Oklahoma would have been able to add taxes and fees to paper and plastic products that we and our consumers use every day," said chamber President and CEO Fred Morgan, adding that local legislation "creates a regulatory patchwork while driving up costs - costs that customers will ultimately be forced to pay,"

Oklahoma's new ban on local action came as the city of Norman, home to the University of Oklahoma, was considering a 5-cent fee on plastic bags.

That city's Mayor-elect, Breea Clark, tweeted to Stitt, after he made comments that he wanted to make it easy for businesses, that she thought Oklahoma had bigger problems than bag bans keeping it from recruiting companies.

"Seriously, @GovStitt? Companies won't come here b/c of plastic bags?," Clark wrote, arguing that things like "four-day school weeks," "grossly underfunded public education," and "opioid addiction" were bigger barriers to making the state attractive to corporate investment.

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group called Oklahoma's move a "huge step backwards."

"Taking away the ability for cities and towns to address plastic pollution creates huge risks to our environment and our public health," said Alex Truelove, the group's zero waste director.

But state legislatures around the country in favor of the ban on bans frame it differently.

They say that by taking a statewide approach, they are doing as California legislators did when they banned plastic bags statewide in 2014 or New York lawmakers did in April - they say that all sides are making it a state issue and taking power away from cities.

Advocates of limiting local authority, like Tennessee state Sen. Mike Bell, refer to it as setting statewide standards.

"This is not new in our country, liberal states such as California and Minnesota have passed statewide standards on these products," Bell said. "Conservative states like Arizona and Mississippi have."

"We're just going to say that from here on out, the state shall regulate these items," Bell said. "That's simply what this bill does. We've done it on wage issues, we've done it on weapons, and we've done it previously on smoking."

Seaholm said he thinks the bans on local bans legislation reflect that more people are weighing the environmental impact of alternatives to plastic bags. APBA said bags are less than 1 percent of waste in the U.S.

"What has been different this year is that folks are beginning to consider the sustainability of the bags that will be used to replace plastic bags if they are banned or taxed," Seaholm said. "People are realizing that the plastic grocery bag, when disposed of properly, is the best option at the store."

As plastics packaging debates heat up state legislatures, statewide standards debates seem likely to continue. Florida's legislature, for example, passed a law April 30 preventing cities from banning plastic straws for five years.

In Minnesota, there's a push in the opposite direction - that state adopted a ban on local bans in 2017. It was passed to stop a bag ban in Minneapolis.

But the November 2018 elections saw Democrats take control of the state House and begin a push to repeal that 2017 law, passed when Republicans controlled both chambers.

Advocates for repeal say since recycling policies vary from city to city, it's reasonable to let cities have different packaging policies. At a recent legislative hearing, a spokesman for the League of Minnesota Cities didn't argue the pros and cons of bags but said authority should rest with local governments.

"I can confidently tell you that many of our over 800 member cities have no interest in regulating bags," said Brad Wiersum, mayor of Minnetonka, Minn. "I can also confidently tell you that all of our members support the ability of any city to consider doing so."

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Three more states have passed laws in recent weeks preventing local governments from banning or taxing plastic or other packaging. Industry supports such efforts, but they're meeting with resistance from cities saying it hurts their ability to deal with what they see as increasing plastic pollution.

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C-Nov 30, 2018
R-yes, relative
A-YouTube
A- Very accurate
P-To inform

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Q&A: Is banning plastic bags really good for the environment?

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C- No
R- Other
A- Info
A- On
P- Image

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C-No
R-Other
A-Info
A-On
P-Image

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C-  No
R- Other
A- Info
A- On
P- Image

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C- No
R- Other
A- Info
A- On
P- Topic

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C-No
R-Other
A-Info
A-On
P-Topic

# data[].attributes.body
C-Nov 30, 2018
R-yes, relative
A-Youtube
A-accurate
P-To inform