Save The Plastic Bag

THE CALIFORNIA COURT OF APPEAL DECISION

On January 27, 2010, the California Court of Appeal issued its ruling in Save The Plastic Bag Coalition v. City of Manhattan Beach. The court ruled that Manhattan Beach should have prepared an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) before banning plastic bags.

Click HERE to read the decision.

PLASTIC BAGS, PAPER BAGS, GLOBAL WARMING AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORTS

If plastic bags are banned, stores and consumers will simply switch to paper bags. That has already happened in San Francisco. How would that affect global warming? It will make it worse. Paper bags result in up to 3.3 times more greenhouse gas emissions over their life cycle than plastic bags based on the same carrying capacity. There are numerous studies confirming that paper bags are significantly worse for the environment than plastic bags, including the Scottish report and the Boustead report.

A pulp and paper mill

Banning plastic carryout bags in Los Angeles County alone would have the same annual impact on greenhouse gas emissions as adding between 27,753 and 63,832 passenger vehicles. Banning plastic carryout bags throughout California would have the same annual impact on greenhouse gas emissions as adding between 91,584 and 210,645 passenger vehicles. We wish that anti-plastic bag activists would disclose this fact to decision-makers and the public.

We encourage you to click HERE to read a short paper on the huge impact of banning plastic bags on greenhouse gases. It is about a two minute read.

We have demanded that cities and counties in California that propose to ban plastic bags prepare Environmental Impact Reports (EIR) before doing so. The reason is that we want decision-makers and the public to know the WHOLE TRUTH, including the fact that banning plastic bags will increase greenhouse gas emissions that result in global warming. This is a serious environmental issue that cannot be ignored.

We are pleased that Los Angeles County and the City of San Jose are preparing EIRs. (Los Angeles County has issued an Initial Study acknowledging that banning plastic bags may have a significant negative effect on the environment.) The City of Palo Alto has agreed to prepare an EIR before baning plastic bags at any more stores. (Its present ban affects only four stores.) Green Cities California is preparing a Master Environmental Assessment that will assist cities in preparing their EIRs.

This is all good news in our campaign for environmental truth.

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN!
53% SAY NO TO BAG TAX

On August 18, 2009, the citizens of Seattle voted to defeat a city council proposal to impose a 20 cent tax on plastic and paper carryout bags. The tax would have been payable by shoppers at the checkout.

53% voted against the tax and 47% voted for the tax.

According to the Seattle Times, "Seattleites are among the most tax-friendly citizens in the land. Over the years, they approved a strong majority of tax increases for housing, education, transportation - you name it." Moreover, Seattle is known for being an eco-conscious city. Nevertheless, the citizens rejected the carryout bag tax.

There is no reason why the people of any other city or state would feel differently about this issue. That includes California where there are bills pending in the Legislature that would impose a 25 cent tax for each plastic and paper carryout bag. In a California poll, more than 58% opposed a 25 cent tax on plastic bags. More than two-thirds of those polled in Los Angeles and San Diego opposed the tax.

Apparently, the public is not buying the arguments of anti-plastic bags activists. Perhaps like us, the public believes that the issue of carryout bags has been grossly exaggerated.

REALITY CHECK.
IS THE SAN FRANCISCO PLASTIC BAG BAN
HARMING THE ENVIRONMENT?

Plastic bags are banned in San Francisco. Most San Franciscans use paper bags instead, not reusable bags.

The bags in the photo were picked up as you see them at a Trader Joe's in San Francisco. Notice the double bagging. Paper handles are so weak that double bagging is necessary. Notice also that the bags are half-filled. Trader Joe's offers a paper bag like these even for a single item.

Paper bags are far worse for the environment than plastic bags. Paper bags result in 3.3 times more greenhouse gas emissions than plastic bags. Paper bags use up 2.5 times more landfill space than plastic bags. Not to mention the trees.

Paper bags weigh about 10 times more than plastic bags and require more fuel to carry to stores.

Isn't a lightweight, compact, energy efficient plastic bag better than this?

In California, plastic bags can be returned to stores for recycling.

Has the San Francisco ban improved the environment or harmed it?

EXPOSING THE ANTI-PLASTIC BAG
MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN

An editorial in the London Times states:

"Many of those who have demonized plastic bags have enlisted scientific study to their cause. By exaggerating a grain of truth into a larger falsehood, they spread misinformation and abuse the trust of their unwitting audiences."

As a result of misinformation, many people believe that plastic bags kill 100,000 sea mammals and a million seabirds each year. NOT TRUE. The London Times has exposed this as a myth based on a typographical error! The report on which the myth is based mentioned discarded nets, not plastic bags. (Click here.)
As a result of misinformation, many people believe that plastic bags are made of oil. NOT TRUE. They are made of ethane which is a waste product from domestically produced natural gas. If the ethane is not used to make plastic bags, it will have to be burned off. (Click here.)

As a result of misinformation, many people believe that plastic bags are not recyclable. NOT TRUE. Special plastic bag recycling bins have been installed in large supermarkets and retail stores throughout California since 2007. Virtually all of the plastic bags deposited in those bins are actually recycled. (Click here.)

As a result of misinformation, many people believe that plastic bags "clog up" landfills. NOT TRUE. According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, plastic bags (including retail bags) use up only 0.4% of landfill space. (Click here.)

As a result of misinformation, many people believe that it is a disadvantage that plastic bags do not decompose in landfills. NOT TRUE. Decomposing paper in landfills produces methane which is a greenhouse gas with 23 times the heat trapping power of CO2. (Click here.)

As a result of misinformation, many people believe that paper bags are better for the environment than plastic bags. NOT TRUE. Paper bags result in 3.3 times more greenhouse gases than plastic bags and require much more fuel to transport. (Click here.)

AN AMERICAN SUCCESS STORY UNDER THREAT

85% of plastic bags used in the United States are manufactured in the United States. Taxing or banning plastic carryout bags will result in the direct loss of approximately 4,000 American jobs, including in California. In addition, there will be thousands of resin and distribution company job losses.

Destroying an American manufacturing industry and thousands of jobs based on myths and misinformation is irresponsible, absurd, and tragic.

Most reusable bags are made in China, including those sold by Trader Joe's, Safeway and Whole Foods.

Los Angeles-based plastic bag manufacturer employees visiting the California Senate. They are deeply worried about the misinformation being spread about plastic bags.

Thanks to Natural News Network/Mike Adams
for permission to use the above cartoon.