Plastic Bag Ban

Stories

18 Stories

September 2008
- Reusable Bags: A Tricky Shade of Green
  
  Wall Street Journal | Sep 27, 08 5:54 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Reusable shopping bags are this year's “it” giveaway, but they may not be as green as their feel-good slogans—like “Save the world” and "I used to be a plastic bag"—claim. The problem is that old habits die hard—many people simply forget to reuse them, the Wall Street Journal reports. And that's troublesome because the trendy bags take 28 times more energy to produce than a traditional plastic bag, decompose slower, and often arrive on oil-powered transport from China . More »
July 2008
- Seattle Slaps 20¢ Fee on All Grocery Bags
  
  Seattle Post-Intelligencer | Jul 29, 08 5:20 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Seattle has staked out its spot atop the greener-than-thou pecking order by approving a 20-cent-per-bag fee that applies to both paper and plastic, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The move is expected to cut disposable-bag use in half. "The best way to reduce waste is not to create it, and today, we have made that a little easier in Seattle," said the mayor. More »
- Baltimore Opts Against Plastic Bag Ban
  
  Baltimore Sun | Jul 22, 08 2:49 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A law that would have made Baltimore America’s second plastic-bag-free city got a resounding thumbs down from the city council last night, the Baltimore Sun reports. The council ixnayed the bill, 11-3, citing concerns over the cost and environmental impact of paper bags. “I know there has been a lot of pressure on this bill," said the measure’s main sponsor. "I think they're wrong about this." More »
March 2008
- Plastic Bags Getting the Sack Across US
  
  USA Today | Mar 15, 08 8:42 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The party's over for plastic bags, USA Today reports. A San Francisco ban on petroleum-based bags already has imitators from coast to coast. Massachusetts is eyeing a bill that would "nudge" consumers with a 2-cent tax on each bag; Connecticut could slap retailers with a $1,000 fine for using non-biodegradable sacks. More »
February 2008
- Tax Helped the Irish Bag Plastic
  
  New York Times | Feb 6, 08 12:13 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - "Paper or plastic?" is perhaps the last question you'll hear on the Emerald Isle, thanks to a 33-cent tax on each plastic bag that cut Irish consumption by 94% within weeks of its 2002 enactment, reports the New York Times . Cloth bags have become downright fashionable since, but strong manufacturer and merchant opposition has hindered similar efforts in Britain and LA, and laws elsewhere have met mixed results. More »
January 2008
- City Thinking of Plastic Bag Ban
  
  http://badgerherald.com/ | Jan 28, 08
  
  Madison could be the next city to adopt a worldwide trend of banning plastic grocery bags. The city%u2019s Commission on the Environment discussed ideas to decrease plastic bag and plastic water bottle use at a meeting Monday evening.
- Whole Foods Sacks Plastic Bags
  
  Austin American-Statesman | Jan 23, 08 10:51 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - After Earth Day on April 22, customers at any of Whole Foods' 270 stores will be taking home their groceries in a paper bag—unless they bring their own bag, reports the Austin American Statesman's Business Blog. The chain, concerned about the environment, is phasing out plastic bags. Experts say it's a bold move, but one that others may follow. More »
- Beijing Bans Plastic Bags
  
  Associated Press | Jan 9, 08 10:03 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Chinese government says it will prohibit stores from distributing free, disposable plastic bags starting this June, reports the AP. Amid growing fears about the environmental future of the world's largest nation, Beijing is asking people to use baskets or cloth carriers instead of the thin plastic bags that been dubbed "white pollution," as they clog garbage dumps and litter the landscape. More »
- China's Plastic Bag Ban Will Save 37 Million Barrels of Oil
  
  Daily Green | Jan 9, 08
  
  China has never been considered an environmental role model. Given a population of 1.3 billion, unprecedented carbon emissions and a slew of recent lead-toy scandals, many would say the country stands as a %u2014 if not the %u2014 prime example of environmental failure. Yet, in a bolt from the blue, it looks like the red has embraced green.
December 2007
- Whole Foods Plans Nationwide Plastic Bag Ban
  
  Environmental Leader | Dec 20, 07
  
  Whole Foods Market is no longer offering plastic grocery bags at the checkouts in its two stores in Austin, Texas. The company says that the move in Austin, where the supermarket is headquartered, is the first step to ban plastic bags companywide by early next year. Paper bags made for Whole Foods from 100 percent recycled content will continue to be an option for shoppers.
- Go Green on Christmas, Tree Huggers Say
  
  Smithsonian | Dec 15, 07 12:20 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - You can be eco-friendly this holiday season without turning into Scrooge, the Smithsonian reports. For those considering Christmas trees, environmentalists claim real trees are actually better for the environment than the plastic variety, which emit harmful dioxins when created or when on fire. More »
November 2007
- London About to Sack Plastic
  
  Independent (UK) | Nov 14, 07 5:30 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The ubiquitous free plastic bag will soon be more than London merchants can handle. That's because Council officials yesterday voted to ban London retailers from handing out the free sacks, sending the matter to the House of Commons for a final ruling. The London bill would require shoppers to use sturdy reusable plastic "bags for life" or cotton or string sacks. More »
October 2007
- Can NY Bag Plastic Habit?
  
  New York Times | Oct 30, 07 5:32 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Now that conservation is chic, is it time for New York City to launch an East Coast trend? City Council members have introduced a bill that would require grocery stores to collect and recycle plastic bags that would be printed with the message: “Please return this bag to a participating store for recycling," reports the New York Times. More »
August 2007
- Plastic May Pose Next Big Threat to Economy
  
  Chicago Tribune | Aug 26, 07 4:54 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The subprime mortgage crisis may spark another financial disaster: bad credit card debt. When rates hit 50-year lows, many owners borrowed against their homes to pay off high-interest credit cards. Now, with rates increasing, many may not be able to pay down both their mortgages and their credit cards, the Chicago Tribune reports, and will default or go bankrupt. More »
- 5 Last-Ditch Plans to Save Earth
  
  Popular Science | Aug 22, 07 2:25 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - If reducing emissions was Plan A to save the earth from global warming, these plans from Popular Science would be more like Plan ... Z: Make more Arctic ice—out of saltwater. Cool the oceans, which feed storms with warm water, by sucking up cold water from the ocean floor with giant floating tubes. More »
- Actually, It Is Easy Being Green
  
  LiveScience | Aug 16, 07 5:09 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - So you're not ready to give up your car for a bicycle to help the Earth. LiveScience suggests 10 baby steps to going green that won't even cramp your style. Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. Purchase Energy Star-rated appliances, electronics, and lighting. Instead of plastic bags, shop with a reusable tote bag. More »
May 2007
- Eco-Awareness Is In The (Reusable) Bag
  
  Los Angeles Times | May 7, 07 10:57 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Whether it's a designer tote bag with a three-figure price tag or a $5 carryall from the convenience store, Americans are slowly catching on to the European trend of answering the eternal question "paper or plastic" with "neither." Tote bags eliminate environmental stress, proclaim a consumer's eco-friendliness, and can even exude style. More »
March 2007
- San Francisco Bans Plastic Grocery Bags
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Mar 28, 07 1:07 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Plastic bags are history in San Francisco's large grocery and drug stores, after the city's board of supervisors adopted the country's first ban on petroleum-based bags yesterday. The ubiquitous bags don't biodegrade, clog recycling machines, clutter landfills, catch in trees and can injure or poison marine life. More »