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Austin may ban most plastic, paper bags
Austin American Statesman ^ | 12 Dec 2011 | Sarah Coppola

Posted on 12/12/2011 4:32:42 PM PST by Jonx6

The City of Austin might enact one of the broadest bag bans in the nation and prohibit disposable paper and plastic bags at all checkout counters starting in January 2016.

In the meantime, starting in 2013, retailers could continue to offer thin, so-called single-use bags, but customers would have to pay 25 cents apiece for them, according to a draft of the ban. That three-year period would give the public and retailers time to prepare for the ban, city officials say.

More than two dozen U.S. cities have enacted bag bans since 2007. Most prohibit plastic only, or ban plastic and impose a fee on paper. Austin would be one of only a few U.S. cities to ban both, said Bob Gedert , director of Austin Resource Recovery, the city department that wrote the draft ban and handles trash collection and recycling.

Under the ban, retailers would be able to offer only reusable bags, defined as those that have handles and are made of fabric or durable materials or are thick paper or plastic bags with some recycled content.

Exempt from the ban would be restaurant carryout bags, bags for wine and beer, dry cleaning bags, newspaper delivery bags and bags that hold meat, fish, produce, bulk foods or pharmaceuticals.

The city commission that reviews trash and recycling matters will discuss the draft ban Wednesday. The City Council will consider and might vote on it next month.

City Council members and environmental activists say plastic bags pollute waterways, harm wildlife, clog drainage systems and often end up as unsightly litter or landfill trash. But others say paper bags also cause environmental harm, taking as much or more energy to make and transport...

(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: austin; bag; ban; environmentalism
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1 posted on 12/12/2011 4:32:55 PM PST by Jonx6
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To: Jonx6

Anyone know where I can buy disposable grocery bags in bulk?


2 posted on 12/12/2011 4:34:37 PM PST by Jonx6
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To: Jonx6

City slogan should not be “Keep Austin Weird”... it should be “Keep Austin Prices Higher than everywhere else in Texas”


3 posted on 12/12/2011 4:40:16 PM PST by nagdt ("None of my EX's live in Texas")
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To: Jonx6

Liberals aren’t tyrants... just keep repeating until you believe it. lol.


4 posted on 12/12/2011 4:40:16 PM PST by GeronL (The Right to Life came before the Right to Pursue Happiness)
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To: Jonx6

To think we have our own San Francisco (or Berkeley) in Texas!


5 posted on 12/12/2011 4:41:16 PM PST by DallasDeb (usafa06mom)
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To: Jonx6
City Council members and environmental activists say plastic bags pollute waterways, harm wildlife, clog drainage systems and often end up as unsightly litter or landfill trash. But others say paper bags also cause environmental harm, taking as much or more energy to make and transport.

The obvious unasked question is how much will contagious disease increase as reusable cloth bags are brought into stores to be handled over and over. Idiots.

6 posted on 12/12/2011 4:42:44 PM PST by LoneRangerMassachusetts (The meek shall not inherit the Earth)
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To: Jonx6
City Council members and environmental activists say plastic bags pollute waterways, harm wildlife, clog drainage systems and often end up as unsightly litter or landfill trash. But others say paper bags also cause environmental harm, taking as much or more energy to make and transport.

The obvious unasked question is how much will contagious disease increase as reusable cloth bags are brought into stores to be handled over and over. Idiots.

7 posted on 12/12/2011 4:42:55 PM PST by LoneRangerMassachusetts (The meek shall not inherit the Earth)
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To: Jonx6

Yeah. Right outside the city limits. Any flea markets nearby??


8 posted on 12/12/2011 4:44:13 PM PST by Bryanw92 (The solution to fix Congress: Nuke em from orbit. It's the only way to be sure!)
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To: LoneRangerMassachusetts

Exactly!


9 posted on 12/12/2011 4:44:19 PM PST by KansasGirl
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To: Jonx6

They should ban all food. It’s packaged in paper or plastic isn’t it?


10 posted on 12/12/2011 4:44:29 PM PST by RC2
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To: LoneRangerMassachusetts

Hopefully there will be sufficient deadly diseases passed around that the Leftwingtard voting base in Austin will disappear.


11 posted on 12/12/2011 4:45:26 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: LoneRangerMassachusetts

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/25/2719523/reusable-bags-carry-germs-along.html


12 posted on 12/12/2011 4:46:04 PM PST by KansasGirl
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To: Jonx6

“Anyone know where I can buy disposable grocery bags in bulk?”

Sam’s Club - they’re called T-Shirt bags. Every time I read an article like this, I buy more of them. I’m up to something like 6,000 now (they sell them by the thousands).

If Austin is serious, I’ll probably go up to 10,000, adding them to my light bulb, pesticide, and other banned (or soon to be banned) inventory.


13 posted on 12/12/2011 4:47:09 PM PST by BobL ("Heartless" and "Inhumane" FReepers for Cain - we've HAD ENOUGH)
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To: BobL

This is so ridiculous. In many ways we are speeding past Europe. At least in most places in Europe, twenty five cents will buy you a decent, thick plastic bag.


14 posted on 12/12/2011 4:49:44 PM PST by riri
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To: Jonx6

“Anyone know where I can buy disposable grocery bags in bulk?”

Sam’s Club. You can buy cases of them there. I may get some tomorrow down at 290/Mopac.


15 posted on 12/12/2011 4:49:44 PM PST by Quanah
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To: nagdt

“City slogan should not be “Keep Austin Weird”... it should be “Keep Austin Prices Higher than everywhere else in Texas””

My west Austin home value has remained high and has actually increased over the last five years and that is good.


16 posted on 12/12/2011 4:54:02 PM PST by trumandogz (If Rick Perry cannot secure his own Internet domain name, how could he be trusted to secure America?)
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To: Jonx6

Smart and Final carries them as well as Sam’s Club.


17 posted on 12/12/2011 4:55:14 PM PST by svcw (God's Grace - thank you!)
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To: Jonx6
and as people drag filthy unwashed bags across the counters expect more problems than the disposable bags created...
18 posted on 12/12/2011 4:57:07 PM PST by Chode (American Hedonist - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: Jonx6

First they came for the filthy, disease-carrying cloth bags, and I didn’t speak up because I carried my groceries home in eco-friendly, renewable paper bags.

Then they came for the paper bags, and I didn’t speak up because I carried my groceries home in eco-friendly plastic bags made from reusable petroleum.

Then they came for the plastic bags, and I didn’t speak up because I carried my groceries home in a reusable eco-friendly cloth bag.

Then they came for those filthy, disease-carrying cloth bags again, and once more I didn’t speak up because now I was carrying my groceries home in my two hands.

Then they came for my hands, and I was stumped because there was nobody left to speak up for me.


19 posted on 12/12/2011 4:57:34 PM PST by Argus
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To: Jonx6

I am so sick of the term “single use”. I use these bags to line the trash, pick up dog poo, put grandbabies diapers in, dirty clothes when I travel (no not after the poo pick up), they can be used for packing material when shipping and oh yea they are recyclable and eventually become my patio chair next year.


20 posted on 12/12/2011 5:00:06 PM PST by svcw (God's Grace - thank you!)
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