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"Dear Readers,
"It’s definitely not in the bag yet, but a debate on banning single-use plastic bags has been gaining traction in local government meetings lately.
Last week, the Town of Black Mountain unanimously passed a resolution showing support for an ordinance that would ban them in Buncombe County. The Town of Woodfin recently passed a similar ordinance.
Additionally, a survey conducted this year by the City of Asheville showed more than 80% of about 7,000 survey respondents support the ban, according to Anna Alsobrook, watershed science and policy manager for [the environmental group] MountainTrue. City staff plan to make recommendations to City Council on how it should proceed sometime this fall, according to the city’s website.
Critics have said a ban would be too expensive for retailers and would be disproportionately burdensome to those in lower income brackets.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, meanwhile, have yet to publicly discuss the sample ordinance, which was drafted by MountainTrue, but the environmental nonprofit plans to bring the issue directly to commissioners during the public comment period at its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 19, Alsobrook said.
Before the meeting, MountainTrue is hosting a rally in Pack Square to garner public support for a plastic bag ban, starting at 4 p.m.
After a meeting of the Environment and Energy Stewardship Subcommittee Sept. 15, of which three commissioners are members, Alsobrook said some are more comfortable than others with the prospect of a ban. She is hopeful that a strong showing on Tuesday will show commissioners that the public is supportive."
— Greg Parlier, reporter
gparlier@mountainx.com
gparlier@mountainx.com
It's a big step in the right direction, though there are still many issues that remain to be tackled.
ReplyDeleteOur councils also have to listen to those businesses that keep tourists attracted here...though now some of the tourists have come from places where plastic shopping bags are banned!
DeleteWhen they were banned here, our grocery store offered three cloth bags for a buck. The ban caused no hardship to with retailer nor customer. Except when I forget to brings bags into the store. Occasionally, I find myself bagging at the car. 😁
ReplyDeleteThere is the problem of forgetting to bring the bags as we enter the store!
DeleteThe sooner the better, though I never seem to have enough little carrier bags these days. I don't want to give away my big cloth ones with my charity donations.
ReplyDeleteI hope this flies! Ours have stopped with plastic bags, even the LCBO isn't giving paper bags for wine. We are moving forward.
ReplyDeletePlastic bags never go away! I use them for picking up poop. Walmart bags are poop bags to us! If you shop at Aldi's you need to bring your own bags and a quarter to unlock a shopping cart. You get the quarter back, but you have to pay for bags (paper) if you want to bag your purchases. I keep cloth bags in the car and insulated bags as well for cold stuff, or hot stuff. Not a big inconvenience at all. I hate driving along a lovely road and see Walmart bags decorating the roadside!
ReplyDelete