A plastic bag bar is definitely not something the California State senate wants considering the ruling on Wednesday. The state had supporters for the bar from Republican Arnold Schwartzenegger, grocers and retailers. There was one group fighting for the ban. This involves the business of plastic lobbyists. Plastic grocery bags are used by an incredible number of individuals. Plastic bags are killing an incredible number of birds and marine animals because they can’t degrade. That is why human health problems are being raised. Those opposed to the ban on plastic bags in California think it just gives consumers a burden.
The problem in The Golden State with plastic bags
If the bill would have passed, stores in California would have to stop using plastic bags. The Silicon Valley Mercury News made a report on the bill. It said that the bill came along since the public began to be concerned about plastic garbage hazards. Save the Bay explained that San Francisco Bay gets 1 million plastic bags polluting it each year. State officials said that Californians use 19 billion plastic bags a year. Collecting plastic bags for landfills costs the state a lot. In fact, it costs about $25 million a year. Chevron, Dow and ExxonMobil are all integrated in a group called the American Chemistry Council. This group thinks there shouldn’t be any kind of change since the state, with an $18 billion spending budget deficit already, will have to pay $1.7 million for it.
Plastic industry controls politicians
In California, the plastic bag ban has opposition. This originated from the American Chemistry Council mostly. As outlined by the Miami Herald, the group is really in Virginia although it funds all of the opposition in California with environmental bills anything that is anti-plastic. The council produced a costly TV and radio ad campaign against the plastic bag bill and wrote a bundle of checks to politicians. In August at least seven state senators collected campaign donations directly from the council or its affiliates Exxon and Hilex Poly Co., a South Carolina plastic bag manufacturer.
Plastic bag ban pros and cons
The plastic bag ban in California is there specifically to get shoppers to bring reusable totes. Some California cities, including San Francisco, already have such plastic bag laws in place. Changing consumer habits will do better than cleaning up the mess. This is the opinion on assemblywoman Julia Broenley who authored the bill, says NBC News. It was told ABC News. This came from Republican Senator Mimi Walters who said that “If we pass this piece of legislation, we will be sending a message to the individuals of California that we care more about banning plastic bags than helping them put food on their table.”
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
In 2008, it was estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency that 3.96 million tons of plastic bags were made. 90 percent of those were thrown away. The Wall Street Journal reports that 100 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year. Retailers have to spend about $4 billion to buy these. In 2006, the U.N. did a study. It showed that 10 percent of all plastic end up at the bottom of the ocean. There is one place where the concentration is really high. It is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It’s the size of Texas and contains about 3.5 million tons of trash.
Further reading
Silicon Valley Mercury News
mercurynews.com/ci_15927563?source=most_emailed and nclick_check=1
Miami Herald
miamiherald.com/2010/08/26/1792991/californias-plastic-bag-ban-opponents.html
ABC News
abcnews.go.com/US/california-votes-plastic-bag-ban/story?id=11526792 and page=1
