Posted on 11/20/2004 4:38:25 PM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
City officials are considering charging grocery stores 17 cents each for grocery bags to discourage use of plastic sacks.
More than 90 percent of consumers choose plastic bags, which are blamed for everything from clogging recycling machines to killing marine life and suffocating infants. But the fee would also apply to paper bags to help reduce overall waste.
Promoting a healthy environment "means we need to help change people's patterns, and that even means their shopping patterns," said incoming city Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who takes office in January. "This is a sensible user fee."
The city's Commission on the Environment will consider the proposal Tuesday. Mayor Gavin Newsom is reviewing the idea.
The city's Department of the Environment estimates San Francisco customers bring home about 50 million bags each year. That accounts for about 2 percent of waste, at an annual cleanup cost of about $8.4 million.
Grocers and the plastics industry oppose the measure.
"We think essentially it's an unnecessary and misguided approach," said Tim Shestek, spokesman for the American Plastics Council. "This tax is going to hurt those who can least afford it."
State legislators defeated a bill last year that would have charged 2 cents on each non-recyclable disposable bag.
The San Francisco proposal parallels efforts in Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, Australia, Shanghai and Taiwan, which ban plastic bags or charge a fee to use them.
Will the last sane person leaving San Francisco please turn off the lights.
Someone should tax bags in this state and cut the deficit.
They can say anything they wish , they can claim its sensible, they can claim it environmentally friendly, anything , what it is, its a way to rip you off. Another of their user taxes.
Here in Southern Md. where I live my Septic tank has been in the ground for 25 years and this year they decided to charge me $30.00 a year for allowing the ground to perk my sewage water into it.
If they could put an air meter on your throat they would charge you to breathe.It isnt just san Francisco its everywhere, Rip off the public is a country wide contest for Governments.
That's true, the bags will most likely be environmentally safe so feel free to throw what you don't want out the car window.
Heck. They might as well charge a 'breathing tax' at $50 for each member of the household. Gottacut down on all that excess CO2 entering the environment.
Too late!
lol
I think people should have to bring their own bags, but only in San Francisco.
***The San Francisco proposal parallels efforts in Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, Australia, Shanghai and Taiwan, which ban plastic bags or charge a fee to use them.***
Oh, how well I remember coming out of the supermarket with my little granddaughter who lectured me very severely on using PAPER bags because her socialist teacher told the kids that plastic bags were better and did not destroy trees. I told her to ask her teacher how many million years it took for oil for the plastic bags to form. My daughter wisely told HER daughter to drop it. LOL!
I don't suppose anyone in San Francisco is thinking of proposing a tax for the same reasons on all the condoms that clog municipal sewers. Nope didn't think so.
Tax gerbil sales, the homeless, and habitual drug users. That should cover 90% of the Bay area inhabitants.
Plastic, paper, makes no difference.
Let's all say it together - "Nothing degrades in a landfill"...
Notice "suffocating infants" is listed last.
The answer to excessive waste in San Francisco is easy. Don't pick it up and make people store it under and in their houses and apartments.
I've been saying for years this will eventually happen. And no, I'm not joking!
Someone should force every liberal in the state to pay a tax just because they are liberal.
In my extraordinary liberal locale, the baggers agree that it doesn't matter whether we use paper or plastic, though they always offer the choice. Paper uses up trees, plastic creates smog or something, but at least will be used again for the garbage. SF is apparently on its own planet.
I sort of got that idea when I lived there years ago and ran into a market late at night to pick up a few things. There in the line ahead of me was a fellow in full pink ballet tutu and slippers with a ribbon in his hair. No one batted an eye.
.....at $0.17 per bag...at some point the general public will bring bags from home....then...when the bag purchases are reduced by 50%....the city will demand a 50% raise in fees..... Who is the fool San Francisco?
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