Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Corvallis Passes Bag Ban

The bag ban passed at approximately 8 p.m. last night. The ordinance includes a pass-through fee of five cents per paper bag to encourage the use of reusable bags---the first in Oregon!
The Marys Peak chapter of the Sierra Club and its Environmental Action (Enact) Team introduced the resolution, petitions, and the original model ordinance for the city to work from. This success also received necessary support from the Corvallis community, Environment Oregon, the Audubon Society, the Northwest Grocery Retailers Association, and the Surfrider organization. Below, Debra Higbee-Sudyka of the Enact Team testifies to the council and mayor.

 

The Bag Monster vowed to stay around unless Councilor O'Brien took action. Now it's giving up the ghost in Corvallis and will move on to Eugene. Go Oregon!

 

1 comment:

  1. Do those of you that have pushed so hard for this understand AT ALL what it's like to be poor and live off of food stamps and WIC? Those of us in that situation have NO extra to purchase bags that have been proven to carry eColi as most are not washable (or of course the ones that are washable require MORE laundry which I thought wasn't so "green"). I don't know where I'm supposed to get the extra $ because even cents matter when you don't make enough to cover your bills and live on student loans. In our situation we are working our BUTTS off to try and make ends meet now so we can provide a better future for our family. I don't understand why those in this kind of authority NEVER think of the little guy. Small steps towards government control of everything in our lives I guess! Funny too I had ZERO warning of this as we are poor and can't afford the newspaper and get NO TV channels where we live because we can't afford basic cable to get our local channels because it was a choice of that or Internet and Internet is important for my husband to do school successfully and for me to try and continue earning a little money with my online business.

    After going to a grocery store and seeing their signs and having a cashier who hadn't even heard of it before arriving to work I did some digging and found this site after looking on the online Gazette. I have to say this is what struck me most out of this article (found here: http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/preparing-for-the-bag-ban/article_a49fa3e6-4fc6-11e2-8061-001a4bcf887a.html )

    “We’re making hidden costs visible, going from hidden at the cash register to out in the open. That’s a big shift. It’s only a tax on those who choose a behavior.”

    Violators are subject to a $200 fine, but Dybvad said education is the top priority, not punishment.

    A TAX?! TAXED ENOUGH ALREADY! Big brother is trying to tax our "behavior" of being poor and not being able to afford bags? Are you kidding me? And a fine to those who don't comply? Not everyone USED plastic bags in the first place and many who do don't throw them away they drop them in the plastic bag recycling or reuse them for garbage that cannot be recycled. Not everything green saves greens and unfortunately yet again the rich people who throw this crap out and force things through and everyone beneath them to comply or be taxed don't even think about the middle class or poor who are BARELY making ends meet and those that are just a little too "rich" for food stamps are lucky to barely be able to buy a small amount of groceries (I've been there-we were barely able to afford $100 of groceries a month for a family of 4 before my husband totally lost income going to school) and every penny takes food out of a child's mouth.

    So, before you go around thinking you're penalizing people for a "bad behavior" think of the unattended consequences. I'm directing this at EVERYONE that is in support of this. I doubt any of you really want to keep food out of a child's mouth or clothes off of their back when pennies in this economy REALLY add up.

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