Solving the Plastic Bag Dilemma: Is Oregon Ready?

 

Recycling Advocates' much anticipated recycling event of the summer has been rescheduled and relocated to accommodate the anticipated large turnout for this important and topical meeting. The meeting will focus on the debate raging around the use, recycling, and banning of plastic and paper bags.

 

If you have already sent us an RSVP for September 15th, please take a moment to reconfirm your RSVP for the new date of September 22nd. . .Thank you

 

Solving the Plastic Bag Dilemma: Is Oregon Ready?

A forum hosted by Recycling Advocates

When: September 22, 2008

          6:30 pm - Reception

          7-9 pm - Annual Member Meeting & Public forum

Where: Portland City Hall, Council Chambers, 1221 Southwest Fourth Avenue 

 

RSVP:  info@RecyclingAdvocates.org

   
 

Countries as diverse as Ireland, China, Bangladesh, Uganda and South Africa have all passed laws that in some way restrict the free distribution of plastic check-out bags and many more are currently considering it.

 

Last year San Francisco became the first major US city to pass a bill that will eventually ban all plastic bags from grocery stores and pharmacies. Los Angeles followed suit and Seattle's City Council voted to implement a 20-cent fee for plastic and paper bags at grocery, drug and convenience stores.

 

Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams recently announced his plans to bring a resolution forward before the end of 2008 that will impose a fee on both paper and plastic check-out bags.

• What are the implications of the massive and widespread use of plastic and paper bags? 
• How does Commissioner Adams' proposal compare to Seattle's or San Francisco's?
• How will grocery stores and consumers handle the fee?
• Where do compostable bags fit into the equation? 
• Now that Portland is considering a solution, when can the rest of Oregon expect the same?

The panel includes:

· David Allaway, Waste Prevention Specialist, Oregon DEQ

· Tom Watson, King County Recycling Specialist and Seattle-Times Eco-consumer columnist

· Sam Adams, Portland City Commissioner and Mayor-Elect

· Brian Rohter, CEO, New Seasons Market

This forum is FREE and open to the public.

Please be sure to RSVP to info@RecyclingAdvocates.org

 

Read other posts on this topic:

The debate paper vs. plastic is more aptly named plastic vs. anything is better

Deep sigh... Portland missed out on another first - Again.

An environmental policy even a Bush could love

Politicians want stores to recycle plastic bags

Will Oregon be the first state to ban plastic bags?

San Francisco City Council votes to ban plastic bags

 

Comments

[VICKI OSIS]

If articles on the web are correct, recycling of plastic bags really doesn't happen as it costs more to produce a new plastic product from plastic bags than it does to manufacture them from scratch. The article I read also went on to note that the bags that are to be recycled often are shipped to third world countries with lax environmental laws where they are burned. The ones not returned for "recycling" end up in our solid wastes facility or are left to decompose releasing toxic chemicals into the environment.
Track the path of a plastic bag. They are made from petroleum products, trucked to the plastic bag plant, then trucked to stores, after use the bags are taken back to the store or are trucked to the solid waste facility. Every step increases our demand for oil. It makes reusable bags look very desirable.
By the way many our "recycled" computers also are sent to countries like Bangladesh and India where they are torn apart to recover the valuable metals in the computers. It is done under miserable working conditions and the workers and the environment are contaminated with toxic chemicals from the computers.

[Jenny]

In response to following the path of a plastic bag- plastic bags increase our need for more oil, while reusable bags are picked from trees and magically appear in our hands.

[PH hopes]

i'm working on a paper and need to include peer reviewed literature on the ill effects (especially on public health) of plastic bags. any links or leads would be greatly appreciated.