A very good article (in 2 parts) discusses the convoluted process of our (many many friends) efforts to ban plastic bags in our towns, cities and county. I can't speak for any broader group in NC, but the article does. Local politics seem pretty interesting these days!
buncombe-residents-use-millions-of-recyclable-plastic-bags-a-year-nearly-all-end-up-in-landfills
"... the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA) spearheaded the effort to have a provision inserted into the state budget last fall that prohibits localities from enacting plastic bag bans.
Any chance for a solution, or a new ban?
The budget provision seems pretty airtight to Mayfield and Manheimer.
“So, there’s no workaround,” Mayfield said. “Our lawyers have looked at that pretty closely, but we’re (MountainTrue) not giving up. We have retrenched and are working on several different strategies.”
Asked if any other avenues toward a ban or reduction in usage of plastic bags exist, Manheimer said, “Voluntary (elimination of plastic bags), or get the legislation repealed.”
The odds of a repeal, she said, are “worse than getting marijuana legalized.”
Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chair Brownie Newman also agrees that the ban seems locked in.
“Anything that is done would have to be purely voluntary, such as a public education initiative,” Newman said. “I don’t think we have the regulatory capacity to restrict it at the retail level.”
So my friends and myself carry our cloth bags into stores. This article points out who has been involved in these efforts, and what they've contributed.
Note, this is the first of 2 parts about recycling in Buncombe County.
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(Health note for Thursday, when I wrote this.) Felt well enough to do 2 chores this morning, one load of laundry across the parking lot, and took out the trash! Hooray me. Cough is needed for clearing out my lungs, and it's been a productive day so far. Working in blogland is always fun! Rain has started from Debby the slow hurricane. Hope she follows predictions and moves along faster now.
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Today's quote:
How do we see the world as sacred again? By radical noticing. Looking for awe in all of life. |
LUCY JONES |
I find it hard to believe that anyone thinks plastic bags are still a good idea, when there are sound alternatives. As to that sneaky legislation, well... !
ReplyDeleteIt just goes to show...the Republican politicians in this state (and nationwide?) are definitely beholden to the businesses, those who have given good donations or promises of the same. I am beginning fear most in Trump's camp as the billionaire puppet masters.
DeleteWe have plastic bags here but they cost .25 cents and most people have their own bags. We've been using our bags for over a decade. It's the right thing to do in today's world.
ReplyDeleteI carry my own bags to the grocery store but the smaller plastic bags for produce are almost unavoidable. I reuse them to clean the litter box and for other storage--instead of plastic wrap to cover a bowl. When I have to throw one away, I tie it in a knot so at least it won't blow around if it escapes the main garbage bag.
ReplyDelete...I was in the hospital for a few day, the plastic waste is enormous!!!
ReplyDeletethis is sooo bad :( Who thought this was coming when the first pieces of plastics showed up??
ReplyDeleteHere you finally find no more cucumbers wrapped up in plastic. A small step for... you know what I mean. I think this generation... x, y, z, whatever... loses track of what to do to keep our planet. They buy plastic bags en masse here. I sometimes want to grab one and yell!
ReplyDeleteThere are shops where you can bring your own containers for nuts and what do-I-know- they are so expensive, only the "rich" can go.
It´s a long way still.
I wonder how to get the young ones to understand?
It´s one step forward, three steps back.
The legislature in Virginia tried to enact the same dumb law a few years ago, but then there was a new election. Now there are taxes on plastic bags in some jurisdictions. There isn’t one here, but there’s a company called Trex in Winchester that collects plastic bags to make a type of water-resistant wood product. They offer an incentive to nonprofit groups that collect plastic bags and similar plastic for them. One of the small museums around here has a nice bench that Trex gave them for collecting bags.
ReplyDeleteAmazon keeps promising to use less plastic packaging, and I did get a box from them today that had brown paper instead of plastic bubbles. Vitacost (Kroger) has been doing this for years.