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 ...
San Jose, CA is banning plastic bags on the 1st.
Today I bought a bunch of food and such at the Smart & Final on Monterrey near Tully. They were already out of bags.
Next shopping trip will be to the S&F in Santa Clara.
I checked Ebay and they are listed under t-shirt bags. They are the regular disposable ones..... $25.62 for 1,000 of them (free shipping). Hope this helps, Jonx6!
Take the filthiest bag into the store and set it on the conveyor belt to have your things bagged. Then, the person behing you (preplanned) objects to the filth and demands the counter be sanitized with sanitizer like they demand in restaurants. Hey, it’s their rules. Put a little Alinsky in everyones life.
“To think we have our own San Francisco (or Berkeley) in Texas!”
Bingo! I’ve lived in the Austin area for almost 11 years and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, “gee, Austinites so badly want to be like San Francisco.”
They ban plastic grocery bags and continue to allow plastic trash bags, lawn bags, baggies and plastic to-go bags and styrofoam containers. Austin is on track to be San Fran and they couldn’t be happier. I’ll stay in the ‘burbs thank you.
One would think that Texans would get rid of such people in their government. What is the matter? Why isn’t the Austin city council being recalled?
Austin has become a pimple on our beautiful state! I live just a few miles north and west of the capitol city—but everything surrounding the city is red as red can be, including where I live.
I think having the huge University of Texas in Austin has to do with how liberal it is.
I’ve been saving up plastic bags for months—getting together a pretty good stash here—LOL!
When they scream bloody murder, tell them not to worry because you used a big club so your carbon footprint would be smaller than using a gun.
We'll never arrive at Utopia alive, but these idiots are hell-bent, pedal to the metal, veins popping out of their necks, gonna damn-sure try!
“Why isn’t the Austin city council being recalled?”
Every Austin city council seat is voted on At Large and meaning that each resident gets to vote on mayor and every member of the city council.
However, in west and central Austin the turnout for elections is 50% while in conservative neighborhoods the turnout is under 10%.
According to any simple internet search, the evidence is in and this will indeed lead to a fair amount of food poisoning.
The problem isn't plastic bags - it is the people that use them, and the city workers that collect them. Both are sloppy in their handling of them, with government being the worst offender.
To keep the environment clear of plastic bags - fire the city council, turn over trash collection to private industry, and set a bounty on those who carelessly handle plastic bags. We could have a lot of fun on what that should be.
A beautiful town filled with many incredibly stupid people.
Spot on. Absolutely spot on.
Anybody in the Austin area who wants plastic bags, let me know and I’ll pick up some and deliver to your door.
FFS. Texas IS Heaven. I came here to be in TEXAS. If I wanted San Fran, I’d go move to San Fran.
Why do these clowns come and take their nonsense here with them! Please! Leave TX be!
You can stop calling me now, Austin. I don't need the money.
http://www.chrisforaustin.com/about/
Here’s a good example of an Austin councilman. He was part of the group who insisted on bike lanes down a crowded highway and showers for bicyclists at the (now radioactive)formula one racetrack 20 miles from Austin.
They also insisted on shrinking the parking lot to about half the needed size to force people into “green” (which doesn’t currently exist from what I can find) mass transit that they insisted on the race organizers paying for...why do socialists love mass transit so much?... and an organic garden spot in the middle of the track.
I’m not making this up.
Anyway, he’s like most of the non-minority members (They are a different story) and he lives in an area full of people just like himself. He’s not about to be recalled.
Thanks for the response. I went to the City’s web page and checked out the biographical information published by the mayor & council. Seemed to be quite a few academics and professional city government types. The city government seems out of step with the rest of Texas. (However, I should talk as I live in California where the entire state is to the left of Austin.)
“According to any simple internet search, the evidence is in and this will indeed lead to a fair amount of food poisoning.”
Everytime the wife or nanny go to the Austin Whole Foods, they bring the cloth bags that have been washed in the laundry.
Each time I go, I forget the cloth bags and end up getting the plastic ones and use them to pick-up the dog’s poop.
Here’s how popular I’m sure this is in Texas....
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