Research on Plastic Bags

Becky Chamberlin wrote a series of white papers to the ESB this week on plastic bag bans.  They were very good.  I encourage everyone to take a look at them.  They are PDF files, stored on my google drive.  Click to see the document.  You can download them if you want.

Part 1: Plastic bags as a litter source

Part 2: Plastic bags as a municipal waste source

Part 3: Plastic bags as greenhouse gas generators

Part 4: Implementation and unintended consequences

Becky took her source material from scientific and academic sources, and shied away from sources from the plastics industry and the environmentalists. 

We will be sharing these with the County Council too.

ESB June Meeting: The ban has FAILED!

Well, the ESB meeting was a doooozey, but not a hootenanny this time.  Seriously, three hours.  THREE hours on this one issue.

Mark Jones from the Sierra Club presented, and spoke about leadership and lots of other lofty things.  He felt that if the County exercised leadership, that people would adapt.  The problem with this is that many of us, do not trust the leadership of this town and where it is headed.

I also presented.  See my presentation HERE.

The discussion turned to a survey the ESB conducted with all the businesses in town.  This was very frustrating, as it seemed like the different board members presented their questions in different ways.  One member was given wildly false information from the Smith's Marketplace vs. White Rock Smiths.  There was also a theme from some business owners saying they support a ban and tax, but their customers would be angry if they did not offer bags.  All I can say is businesses are not obligated to offer shopping bags to their customers.  If plastic bags bug them, then don't offer them.  Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and others do not.  Or here is an idea, start teaching your customers to bring their own bags.....(there is more I can say here, but I'm too tired to even think about it right now.)

ESB June Meeting: Save the Bag Los Alamos' Presentation

Summary:

If the reason for banning and taxing plastic shopping bags is to protect the environment a better solution is to step up recycling and education efforts.  Because a ban and tax on plastic shopping bags runs contrary to community wishes, because it does not help to achieve the goals set forth in the Strategic Leadership Plan, and because a tax will be illegal in several ways, we ask tonight that the Environmental Sustainability Board vote to end this debate and recommend to the County Council to take no action on this petition.

Table of Contents:

I.      The Petition

II.     Public Opinion

III.    The Economic & Environmental Impact of a plastic bag ban and tax

IV.    Legal Considerations of a Plastic Bag Ban and Tax

V.     Conclusion

  

Section 1: The Petition

·        The original petition requests, “…that the County Council pass an ordinance prohibiting retail establishments from distributing single-use plastic bags to their customers, and mandating ad 10-cent fee on paper bags to be collected and retained by the merchant”

·        May 2015 ban advocates informally withdrew the request for a plastic bag ban, and instead requested that the Council implement a “fee” on all bags, given out by local merchants.

Summary: Mark Jones' ESB presentation

Becky Chamberlin took these notes during Mark Jones' presentation tonight.

1. The Sierra Club put a stack of NWPP bags on the table outside the meeting room. During his remarks, Mark Jones pointed them out and suggested that if all the opponents took some of the bags, we wouldn't have a reason to object anymore. (Not his exact words).

Later he said, "People will adapt, given the opportunity to do so."

 2. He cited Breckenridge as a tourist-oriented town whose tourism business has increased since they implemented a bag ban 2 years ago; therefore the ban had no negative impact. [Counterpoint: tourism increases overall when the economy is up.]

 3. Staff Liaison Angelica Gurule presented some responses to several Board questions about plastic bags, from recycling firm Freidman in Abq. She emphasized that the recycler can only sell plastic bags when gas/oil prices are high enough; otherwise virgin plastic is more economical. [Counterpoint: The Sierra Club is fighting against the very domestic gas/oil production that has been keeping prices low. If they succeed on that front, plastics recyclers will be looking for feed material again.] Friedman's response also stated that plastic bags are only 1 or 2 percent of residuals, i.e. materials that are not sent out for recycling.

 4. An informal survey of businesses was done. Not surprisingly, responses were all over the map. Jemez House gives out lots of plastic bags, but they are donated bags. Quite a few businesses were worried about having to deal with irate customers who didn't want to pay for a bag; two were quoted as saying that they would ultimately give a bag to people who raised a huge stink. [Comment: And risk being fined by County?] One worried that impulse purchases would decrease. A number of business owners were personally in favor of a bag ordinance.

June ESB Meeting & Open Forum Update

I mentioned today, on our Facebook page, that I have been invited to present to the ESB on June 18th.  I was asked to present on how a bag ban will or will not fit into the County's Strategic Leadership goals.  (See that document HERE).

The meeting will be held at the White Rock Fire Station in one of the conference rooms there.  If you can come to lend support that would be excellent.  If not, please send a good thought our way.  (See the meeting agenda HERE).  We will be presenting second.  I also plan on publishing my presentation here, that evening, after I've given it.  I've been told they do not have the capability at this venue for a power point presentation.  So we will go old school with a hand out.

Change of subject, but still related.  Last week the County re-opened the Open Forum Survey on this issue.  As you remember the original survey ran for, four weeks and showed that Los Alamos overwhelmingly does not want a ban on light-weight mulituse bags.   Many of you contacted me about this, very upset.  You felt like it was ballot stuffing, a do-over, and the ban advocates trying to get the result they wanted.  I felt this way, I still feel this way.

The Truth About Who is Really Wasting Time with a Plastic Bag Ban

The Sierra Club's logo for their ban the bag efforts.

Over the past few days and weeks, I've seen some accusations, indirectly pointed at me and members of our group, Save the Bag: Los Alamos, accusing us of "wasting time" with our "Herculean efforts" to save light-weight multiuse shopping bags from doom.

Let's clear the air.  Do I think this is a waste of time?  Yes, but only if it were about plastic bags.  But it's not just about plastic bags.  Plastic bags are just the face of this fight.  It goes much deeper.  We are merely trying to preserve consumer choice and personal liberty in Los Alamos.  Am I using hyperbole here?  Nope, I sure am not.  If we give the County the power to decide a plastic bag is bad, or the power to single out this one small consumer product, what will be next? And make no mistake, there is always a next time.  We do not want Los Alamos County to have that much power over our lives.  We already know they bumble thru most other things, so no thanks!

Close the Open Forum

After thinking about things last night, I decided to call FOUL today.  I've written the ESB and asked them to close the open forum and to let the original results stand.  I copied the County Council on the letter I sent them.  I am asking members of Save the Bag: Los Alamos to write them today as well.  The ESB's email address is: esb@lacnm.us and the County Council is at: countycouncil@lacnm.us.  

The text of my letter is below:

Dear ESB Members and County Council Members,

I was very disappointed to see that the open forum on the plastic bag ban was reopened this week.  When I asked Angelia Gurule, your staff liaison, why, she told me "to give more people a chance to answer."

I am calling foul on this.  The original survey was open for four weeks and had over 400 responses.  It was also well publicized by local media, as well as by my group, Save the Bag: Los Alamos.  I assume that the Sierra Club advertised it among their membership as well.   If people did not take the opportunity to answer during the original four week period, they should not get a "do-over"   This action is being viewed by the public as an attempt by supporters of the plastic bag ban to get results that favor their position.  It also makes this board look biased toward a bag ban.

We, respectfully ask that you close the survey and let the original results stand.  They speak for themselves, that people in Los Alamos do not want a ban on light-weight multiuse plastic bags. 

Thank you,

Joyce Anderson

Founder, Save the Bag: Los Alamos

 

If you write and get a response, please send that in to us, using the contact form on the right sidebar.  We'd love to see what they say back.

 

Please join us on Facebook and share our blog with your friends.  Remember we will be presenting at the June 18th, ESB meeting.  Thank you for your support!

 

 

OPEN FORUM: Re-opened. ESB meeting, June 18th.

Today, Los Alamos County reopened the OPEN FORUM survey on the plastic bag ban.  I asked why and was told "to give more people a chance to speak up."  I thought the original FOUR weeks was plenty, but hey, what do I know?  So, please share the link, take the survey, watch the results.  I feel like this is a "do-over" for the Sierra Club, and had the results been the opposite, we would not be getting a do-over.  But that's just my opinion.

I've also been asked to present to the Environmental Sustainability Board on June 18th.  They want to know how a plastic bag ban will fit into the County's Strategic Leadership Plan.  Please take a look at the Strategic Leadership Plan HERE.  It's only six pages long.  As you read it, ask yourself, "How would a ban on light-weight reusable shopping bags affect Los Alamos economically?  Because when it comes down to it, it's all about the economics.  This plan asks us all to consider what Los Alamos will be like in 20 years.  (If the link to does not work, google "Los Alamos County Strategic Leadership Plan 2015".  I'm not sure I got the link to work right ... sorry!).


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