B’More Green

March 10, 2010

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM

While Baltimore lawmakers appear to be backing away from regulating disposable bags in the city, some legislators in Annapolis want to require merchants statewide to charge customers a nickel per bag for most throwaway sacks they now get for free to carry away their purchases.

The proposed “Chesapeake Bay Restoration Consumer Retail Choice Act of 2010″ gets heard at 1 p.m. today (March 10) in the House Environmental Matters Committee (HB351) and Senate Finance Committee (SB462).

The identical bills, put in by Montgomery County legislators, bear similarities to the nickel-a-bag fee imposed recently in the District of Columbia, which is credited with cutting customer demand for disposable carryout bags by half or more in the few months since it took effect Jan. 1.  Like the DC fee, which is dedicated to the Anacostia River cleanup, revenues raised by the state bag fee would be earmarked for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, which goes to help curb polluted runoff from farms and developed lands.  That fund, originally approved at $50 million a year, has never gotten that much, as budget troubles have trimmed it to $20 million – and it may get slashed again to $10 million this year, if budget analysts’ recommendations are followed.

The fee would not apply to bags for certain goods, such as produce, candy, meats, flowers, carryout food from a restaurant and small hardware items.  Merchants could keep one cent of the fee for their trouble collecting it - and another two cents if they offer customers credits for bringing in their own reusable bags.   Any bags distributed by stores would have to be recyclable – 40 percent post-consumer if paper, or polyethylene code 2 or 4 if plastic.

Do you think a statewide fee as low as a nickel would get consumers to cut down on disposable bags that may wind up as litter?  Or do you think all that’s needed is tighter enforcement of litter laws and more public education about the benefits of recycling?  Those seem to have been the two chief arguments around fees like this.   Does anyone know where a recycling campaign has reduced litter significantly?  Or a fee, for that matter?

Paper or Plastic? Neither!
New report will help cities promote reusable grocery bags
March 8, 2010 – Green Cities California (GCC) announced today the release of its Master Environmental Assessment (MEA) on Single Use and Reusable Bags. The MEA, commissioned by GCC and developed by ICF International’s Sacramento office, summarizes existing studies on the environmental impacts of single use plastic, paper, compostable and reusable bags, as well as the impacts of policy options such as fees and bans on bags.
“This is a first-of-its-kind comprehensive compilation of existing studies on bags aligned within the context of CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act), which makes it useful in the preparation of local Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs),” said Terry Rivasplata of ICF International.
“All Environmental Impact Reports must begin with a survey of existing scientific literature,” said Carol Misseldine. “For those jurisdictions that must prepare an EIR in order to adopt ordinances that promote the use of reusable bags, this MEA will provide essential assistance.”
The MEA reviewed studies that document environmental impacts from the use of all four types of bags studied, including greenhouse gas emissions, persistent litter problems, marine life impacts, water consumption and ozone formation. The report also examined the impact of fees and bans and noted that bag use drops dramatically – up to 90% — when stores charge for them.
Further studies referenced in the MEA indicate that reusable bags, on a per use basis, have substantially lower environmental impacts than single use bags. The study finds that even with a minimum of three uses, reusable bags can result in less atmospheric acidification, ground level ozone formation, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Contacts:
Carol Misseldine, Coordinator
Green Cities California
(415) 388-5273

To read the report or learn more click here.

The deadline for registering for the FREE Isle Be Green Animal Artz Workshops is fast approaching, March 14, at 5 p.m. Information about the upcoming youth and adult workshops can be found by clicking here. You can also view more details by clicking on the events section of the website. The workshops are scheduled for two Saturdays, March 20 and 27. We hope to see you there!!

By Daniel Gansle

eHow

Are you tossing your used printer inkjet or toner cartridges into the garbage can? If so, you could be losing out on receiving cash for that trash. In this article, you’ll learn how to help the environment while reaping financial rewards by recycling your used printer inkjet and toner cartridges.

Visit eHow for details on all retailers offering incentives for recycling!

“Pitch in on plastic” Feb. 25, 2010

http://epilot.hamptonroads.com/Olive/ODE/VirginianPilot/LandingPage/LandingPage.aspx?href=VmlyZ2luaWFuUGlsb3QvMjAxMC8wMi8yNQ..&pageno=MTY.&entity=QXIwMTYwNw..&view=ZW50aXR5

Re “Plastic bags linger as Richmond dithers,” editorial, Feb. 16:

What The Pilot failed to recognize in its critique of lawmakers for failing to ban plastic bags is that there are alternatives to these more extreme measures. The Retail Alliance, in conjunction with Isle of Wight County, the commonwealth and private sector partners including Farm Fresh, launched a voluntary plastic bag recycling project last year, which has been met with great success. We have been able to establish a network of plastic bag recycling stations throughout the county and distributed thousands of reusable grocery bags. The result: More than three tons of bags have been collected for recycling by Trex, a Virginia-based company that utilizes plastic bags to manufacture composite lumber. This market-based program can be easily duplicated throughout Virginia, without resorting to bans, penalties and other more extreme remedies, which only isolates retailers and fails to address other sources of plastic pollution. During the 1970s, those seeking to reduce littering asked America to “pitch in.” In Isle of Wight, we have done just that, and we are very much available to help anyone else who would like to do the same.

BY: Susan L. Milhoan President and CEO, Retail Alliance Norfolk