D.C. Council passes bag tax

The D.C. Council unanimously passed a 5 cent bag tax on plastic bags from grocery, convenience, liquor and drug stores. Four out of the five cents will be used to fund clean-up operations on the Anacostia River. The river is polluted by 20,000 tons of trash annually.

Supporters opine that the tax is palatable because the purpose of the tax is to give people a clean city, as opposed to critics' views that the tax is more government intervention into a person's right to use plastic.

Safeway has donated 100,000 reusable bags to a local non-profit, which will then distribute them to local low-income people in the D.C. area.

The bags will still be available to people who wish to purchase them and use them instead of a reusable bag.

3B Bags

While shopping at Vitamin Cottage in Lafayette (CO) today and reaching for the plastic produce bag on the roll above my head, I saw this cool new thing. 3B Bags has created a reusable produce bag! It's mesh with a drawstring, and see-through so the checker can read the product code without removing it from the bag. How cool is that?? It's breathable and handwashable too, and comes 3 to a package. It cost $5.99, which is well worth it to me so that I don't have to deal with the plastic produce bags that take up so much space in my garage, waiting for me to get enough bags to take them to the regular supermarket to recycle. YAY!!! I'm one step closer to being bag-free! Now, to do something about those newspaper bags... suggestions anyone?

Plastic Bag bill canned for 2008-2009 legislative session

The Denver Post states: "A bill to ban plastic grocery bags that originated with a hard-lobbying group at Kent Denver School got canned over concerns about unintended consequences, but not before several students matched wits with opponents in a committee debate. The students vow to work harder and return next year."

The kids worked hard. I was invited to a press conference at the State Capitol by one of the students several months ago. I was impressed with their enthusiasm but had my own concerns about economic consequences and the narrow scope of their plan. It seems the Colorado legislators had some concerns as well. It would be great if the high school students went back to the drawing board and did some more research. They would do well to contact some of the folks that have been tackling this issue before the kids ever got wind of it, and build on the knowledge that's already there. See Better Bags Colorado and my own Capstone at the University of Denver. This is Graduate work done in the confines of academia, and has been approved by the powers that be within that institution.