The
Gazette Times reported the BIG news that plastic bags are banned.
It
must be true, right? NO, it’s not true—yet.
Next
Tuesday, the G-T may have an opposite headline: "Plastic
bags NOT banned."
To avoid that, we need to get to work. And, I'll need your help.
In order for the
ordinance to pass, we just need 5 Councilors to vote yes. If we pack
the room with supporters, it will happen. So, let’s do it.
When: July
2, 2012 at 6:00 P.M.
Where: Downtown
Fire Station (400 NW Harrison Blvd.)
Why: Ban
the Bag in Corvallis
At the last meeting
Councilor O'Brien, an opponent of the bag ban, voted yes to ban the
bag because he didn't ever want to see the Bag Monster again. So come
see the Bag Monster remind Councilor O'Brien that if he votes yes,
she will go home :)
Many
OSU
students
have done their part to move this forward. Now's the time for one
last push!
Talking
points:
Reasons to Ban
Paper Bags:
Wastes Resources. Single-use, disposables of any type is a
wasteful use of valuable resources. Respecting the natural world and
its natural resources is an important ethic to encourage.
Switch to Reusable Bags. When the local Sierra Club submitted
the ordinance the title was “Encouraging Reusable Bags and
Prohibiting the Use of Single-Use Plastic Carryout Bags.” They
chose that title for a good reason. Switching to more sustainable
reusable bags is the goal.
Many Cities are Banning Bags. In California, there are 42
cities and 6 counties that have plastic bag bans. All have a price
requirement except for 4 cities. In Washington, five of six cities
have passed a plastic bag ordinance.
Business Support. Corporations and businesses are not
automatically against sustainability or environmental concerns.
Sixty local downtown Corvallis businesses and the Northwest Grocery
Association (which represents the large grocers) have signed letters
of support for the ordinance. This is a testimony to the fact that
this ordinance is both good business and good environmental
stewardship. Business interests and environmental interests are not
naturally in opposition.
An Incentive
Cost on Paper Bags: This accomplishes many goals, and
prevents negative outcomes such as the following:
Costs will Rise. Paper bags
are more expensive than plastic. Without a pass-through fee on
paper, the grocer’s paper bag costs will go up, which will be
passed onto the customer in higher merchandise costs.
Single-use Habit Not Changed.
Studies have shown that people go from single-use plastic to
single-use paper. This does not change the single-use issue.
Less incentive for Reusable
Bags. Without a pass-through cost, people have less incentive to
go to reusable bags.
Disposable ethic reinforced.
“Free” single-use items reinforce our wasteful, disposable
ethic. Without a cost for paper, it does little to change the
culture around the use of disposable shopping bags.* Making the cost
apparent will start to turn this around.
Environmental Impact. With
"free" single-use paper bags, it makes non-plastic more
acceptable. Therefore people move to single-use paper bags, despite
potentially higher environmental and GHG impacts even when paper
bags are recycled.