By Olympia Meola
Published: February 4, 2010
Updated: February 4, 2010
An effort to ban plastic shopping bags was sacked in a dinner time subcommittee meeting yesterday.
The measure, introduced by Del. Joseph D. Morrissey, D-Henrico, would have blocked stores from giving out plastic bags unless they are durable plastic bags with handles or specifically made for reuse.
He argued that the bags harm the environment, aren’t catching on for large scale recycling and can take at least a quarter century to degrade. But lawmakers took an unrecorded vote to table the bill after listening to a string of lobbyists from the retail and chemical manufacturing industries oppose the measure.
Del. M. Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights, and Del. R. Lee Ware Jr., R-Powhatan, were among the lawmakers who voted against the measure. Morrissey is holding a news conference this afternoon to talk about his bill and a measure introduced by Del. Adam P. Ebbin, D-Alexandria, which would assess a 5-cent disposable bag fee on paper and plastic bags.
Retail groups argued in yesterday evening’s subcommittee meeting that model programs under way in the state encourage plastic bag recycling and they would like to continue those efforts before an outright ban.
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