A rippling effect of the green movement has witnessed many cities either imposing taxes to consumers on plastic bags
or banning them altogether. This movement has triggered a change in
behavior for many consumers and businesses. Some establishments have
responded by offering for sale customized reusable cloth bags that not only are trendy, but also offer advertising for companies. Some shoppers now opt out of plastic bags and request paper bags.
San Francisco was the first city to ban plastic
shopping bags back in 2007. Since then, other cities have followed—Los
Angeles, Seattle, Westport, Connecticut and the entire state of Hawaii.
Other jurisdictions, including Washington, D.C., find local councils
embroiled in debates over taxes on plastic bags.
Unfortunately, some trade associations refuse to accept the fact that plastic bags are harmful to the environment because they take up valuable space in landfills and litter
streets, streams and shorelines. One organization of plastic
manufacturers now argues that the ban of plastic bags could threaten
more than 30,000 manufacturing jobs in the United States. Donna Dempsey, the spokeswoman for the American Progressive Bag Alliance,
even states that “the plastic bag has gotten a bad rap”. Dempsey goes
on to say that 90% of consumers reuse plastic bags, that these bags
require less energy to produce than paper bags and that they take up
less space in landfills.
This is a very touchy issue. While no one wants to see any manufacturing
sector decrease in size or disappear, one has to wonder why the experts
in the plastics field would rather concentrate on portraying as a myth
the hard facts about the negative impact of plastic on the environment
as opposed to making a better product. We have witnessed other
industries being forced to make drastic changes to stop pollution.
For example, most localities have had to overhaul public
transportation to provide clean buses and electrically powered trains.
The auto industry has been forced to upgrade vehicles to use cleaner
fuels. These changes actually have stimulated the economy in terms of
providing new educational opportunities, jobs in research and
development and employment implementing new technology in factories.
Let’s stop the politics here. Plastic bags are harmful to the
environment. As stewards of this planet, let’s stand behind the
movement to adopt alternatives to plastic bags. This movement begins
with our refusal to use plastic bags. Let’s shop green, live green, be green.