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Boston Eyes Plastic Bag Ban (Environmentalist Rejoice.....Maybe.!)
According to Fox TV in Boston, a similar ordinance was passed in San Francisco. Not to be outdone, a new twist might be that there may a be a upwards to a 15 cent fee is you still choose to use plastic. Something the State Legislature is considering. So I guess if you use paper, it's better for the planet and environment. I am waiting for the global warming crowd to start protesting over this. Absolutely bizarre if you ask me. But then again it is Massachusetts, where nothing is a surprise anymore.Sarcasm On.. I guess this means that the rampant violence in Boston has been finally been solved by the due diligence efforts of the City Council and Mayor. Sarcasm off.. BOSTON -- The Boston City Council is lining up support for a proposed ban on plastic bags at supermarkets, pharmacies and other retail stores. Councilor Robert Consalvo has sponsored the measure, which has already been endorsed by nine of 12 council members. He told The Boston Globe that littered bags dot trees, lots and sidewalks across the city and pose an environmental hazard. "They end up everywhere," Consalvo said. "They blow in trees, they're floating in Boston Harbor. They're an environmental nightmare. We need to rid our city of these plastic bags." Consalvo's measure also proposes increased recycling for grocery bags. Mayor Thomas Menino would have to sign the measure before it becomes law. Roughly 100 billion plastic bags are buried in landfills each year in the U.S., according to Worldwatch Institute, an environmental research agency. San Francisco recently outlawed the bags, while many other cities including Phoenix and Portland, Ore., are considering bans. State Sen. Brian A. Joyce, D-Milton, told the newspaper he planned to file a bill in the Legislature that would charge a fee -- 2 cents in 2008 and rising to 15 cents in seven years -- to customers who use plastic bags at supermarkets with annual profits more than $1 million. Industry groups that lobby for supermarkets, pharmacies, and convenience stores oppose the bills. They say many customers recycle the bags by using them as trash bags or to pick up dog litter. "We're trying to use a hammer to kill a fly," said Christopher Flynn, president of the Massachusetts Food Association, a supermarket group. "You're targeting and making the plastic bags a scapegoat for litter and environmental issues, which is not the ultimate problem. The problem is individuals and their own behavior." Posted by: Flaviling Glomose5988 2007-04-26 |
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