Plastic bag ban could cost consumers (Austin, TX)

kxan.com ^ | Dec. 15, 2011 | Doug Shupe

[bgill]

The idea is to eliminate these types of plastic bags and certain types of paper bags from our landfills. To do that, the city is considering charging customers for these types of bags for three years, then eventually banning them from many stores across the city... The city's draft ordinance includes an education campaign for the public throughout all of next year, For three years after, the proposal includes retailers charge customers without a Lone Star Card, a 25 cent surcharge for each plastic or paper bag.

[bgill]

We taxpayers will be charged 25 cents per bag but foodstamp cardholders will be exempt. So, which is it? Are plastic bags not so bad that special groups can still use them or is that 25 cent penalty doubled for taxpayers so we must pay the fines for welfare recipients whom we're already supporting?

[DonaldC]

I mis paper bags. They are, after all, a green renewable resource.

[Brownie63]

We went to the plastic bags in the first place to “save the trees”. The tree-huggers need to make up their minds.

[Hodar]

What about those big 55 gallon, 5 mil thick black garbage bags? There is a lot of plastic in those, and you could make a lot of plastic bags out of a single 20 ounce plastic soda bottle.

Seem’s their drive is a little single-minded and short-sighted.

[kingu]

Any bets as to how many people are killed by contamination spread from improperly cleaned ‘reusable’ shopping bags? The universal goal of turning us into a 3rd world nation continues... That's all the Greenies want, it's not about the environment, it is about making your lifestyle worse.

[tx_eggman]

Seem’s their drive is a little singlesimple-minded and short-sighted

There, fixed it for you

Now it perfectly describes the moronic hippies that are the city government of Austin

[Drill Thrawl]

We went to the plastic bags in the first place to “save the trees”. The tree-huggers need to make up their minds.

They have made up their minds. It's not about the environment, it's about control. They do this to "remind" you who is in control.

[digger48]

The universal goal of turning us into a 3rd world nation continues.

We've gone backward to windmills and choo-choos. Maybe basketweaving and homemade pottery will make a comeback too

On the other hand, Liberals could never do this. Some of their heads are just too pointy.

[Arrowhead1952]

Yeah, but what about all the bread wrappers and other plastic that food is packed in, then put into a plastic garbage bag and put into the trash cans?

[GunRunner]

I’m glad I live in Williamson County. We always get plastic because they’re great for reusing as pooper-scooper bags.

[bgill]

Now it perfectly describes the moronic hippies that are the city government of Austin

Austin is the blue blight on political maps, home of lib UT and is home to nearly every hippie in the state. It's most appropriate city motto is "Keep Austin Weird" which is proven by any image search for taxpayer funded Hippie Hollow park or Eeyore's Birthday (warning alert for anyone searching those).

[NEMDF]

Yes, we must pay double. We cannot expect the poor people whose only income is in government benefits to have to pay for things like plastic bags from their welfare money.

[molson209]

One super market chain tried a 5 cent surcharge(tax) on plastic bags here ,but stopped ,people just went to another chain that had no tax , me thinks places out side Austin will see more business

[AnotherUnixGeek]

The idea is to eliminate these types of plastic bags and certain types of paper bags from our landfills. To do that, the city is considering charging customers for these types of bags for three years, then eventually banning them from many stores across the city...

The ban will never happen. Governments don't just let income streams from taxes disappear without a fight. This is just a way for the city to impose a new, permanent tax.

The simple fact is that plastic bags make life easier for consumers and are re-usable. That's enough for environmentalists to oppose them - any small features of modern life which improve sanitation or convenience for ordinary people are automatically targets for the environmental hairshirt lunatics and politicians looking for innovative ways to tax.

[jonrick46]

Why can’t the evironweenies put a little mental energy into finding a use for all of that plastic going into the landfills? I could use a cheaper plastic decking material than what we have now.

[libertarian27]

Any bets as to how many people are killed by contamination spread from improperly cleaned ‘reusable’ shopping bags?

I can't wait for that study!

[aimhigh]

While most liberal newspapers are pushing this crap, they ignore their own practice of putting delivered newspapers in plastic bags when it rains.

[Signalman]

Using plastic bags saves trees.

[lapsus calami]

 

 

 

This is nothing but an extortion stunt - I seem to recall in the distant past that the ingredient composition of the "plastic" hard to be worked out in order to get past tree-hugger objections in the first dang place. The things are engineered to break down and decompose into nothingness by design. I dimly remember the bags being heralded in the media as the "environmentally friendly" solution to paper bags - an intrepid researcher could no doubt dig up the AP news articles touting that. Somebody around there needs to dig up the bag engineering specs, old news articles about them along with a Information Quality Act (aka the Data Quality Act) request and watch their underhanded tax scheme fall apart.

 

 

 

[Grams A]

Seems like there is absolutely very little you can buy any more that doesn’t have some kind of a plastic wrapping, plastic inside or both. Bought a toilet seat the other day - it is plastic laminated and even the screws are now plastic. Local store had attempted to stack those crappy new flimsy water bottles - must have been 10 feet high - that was before it gave way and water bottles were everywhere. Store manager was calling them way far worse than crappy and flimsy!