State Lawmakers and environmentalists who propose a statewide plastic carryout bag bans, like so many officials in communities that have implemented such bans, most often fail to take into consideration the economics of a bag ban and the increased costs to residents. Not only will residents incur out-of-pocket costs to purchase bags, but depending upon the type of bag chosen, personal time will be required to manage bags and maintain bags in a sanitary condition. Continue reading Statewide Bag Ban Would Cost Residents More Than $1 Billion!
All posts by Anthony van Leeuwen
What Will A Plastic Carryout Bag Ban Cost Your Community?
More and more California communities are adopting local ordinances that implement a plastic carryout bag ban. In the haste to ban plastic carryout bags, officials fail to take into consideration the costs that are passed onto residents. Not only will residents incur out-of-pocket costs to purchase bags, but depending upon the type of bag chosen, residents are required to spend personal time to manage bags and maintain bags in a sanitary condition. In the article “Plastic Bag Alternatives Much More Costly to Consumers” the authors analyze the annual cost per household of different bag alternatives and monetize the value of one’s personal time at $12 per hour (half of the California Average Labor Rate). The article costs out store supplied plastic carryout bags, self-purchased plastic carryout bags, paper bags, durable reusable bags, and cheaper reusable bags. Continue reading What Will A Plastic Carryout Bag Ban Cost Your Community?
New Article Posted: “Reusable Bags and Ergonomic Issues”
A new article has been posted titled “Reusable Bags and Ergonomic Issues” by Anthony van Leeuwen.
The article provides some useful information about reusable bag sizes, volume, and average weight when filled. Consumers should educate themselves about bag sizes and weights when filled, to avoid wasting money by buying bags that are too large and heavy when filled by store employees.
With more and more communities in California and the nation adopting plastic carryout bag bans ergonomic safety issues related to using reusable bags have been largely ignored. The chief selling point often touted by proponents is that “Reusable bags hold more than plastic bags”. What is often overlooked is that “If reusable bags hold more, they weigh more.” This means that handling of heavier reusable bags by both store employees and customers alike, present ergonomic safety hazards that should be taken into consideration.
New Article Posted: “Plastic Bag Alternatives Much More Costly to Consumers”
A new article has been posted titled “Plastic Bag Alternatives Much More Costly to Consumers” by Anthony van Leeuwen, Fight The Plastic Bag Ban, and Don Williams, Stop The Bag Ban. The article is work of collaboration between two engineers both of whom have a passion to defeat plastic bag bans on the grounds that bans are the wrong solution to litter problems that adversely affects residents.
The new article expands on an earlier article titled “Shopping will cost more with Plastic Bag Ban” and includes a table comparing the different bagging options available to consumers. The article looks at costs associated with purchasing your own plastic carryout bags, purchasing store supplied paper bags, and purchasing and using your own reusable bags. The cost to retailers of supplying you with “free” plastic carryout bags is also estimated for comparison. The article looks at both the cost of bags and the value of labor or personal time associated with managing bags and in the case of reusable bags the time required to wash or sanitize bags.
We show that the cost to retail stores to supply a typical family plastic carryout bags is about $21 per year; whereas, that same family would spend up to $300 per year to use reusable bags. That is a factor of more than 14 times as much.
Residents Launch Initiative to Stop Bag Bans
Residents in Campbell, California who are opposed to plastic carryout bag bans have filed official paperwork to launch an initiative petition which will allow the citizens of Campbell to vote to block bag bans from coming to their city. Their effort, supported by the Stop the Bag Ban citizen’s group, will be the first such effort launched in California empowering the people to stop a bag ban.
Bag bans typically ban plastic carryout bags and impose a minimum fee on paper bags issued with the goal of coercing shoppers to use reusable bags. Bag bans have been adopted by the governing bodies in over 70 municipalities and counties in California; however, none has ever allowed their citizens to affirm or overturn their decision by popular vote.
The proposed initiative would add language to Campbell’s Municipal Code to prohibit carryout bag bans, taxes, or minimum fees, and would overturn any laws that had been passed prior to the vote.
According to petition co-organizer Larry Grattan, a long time Campbell resident, a bag ban is simply not needed. He stated that arguments for a bag ban are weak and more of an emotional plea that ends up taking away the freedoms and rights of businesses and individuals, exposes the public to increased health risks, and increases the monetary cost of shopping.
“If someone wants to use a reusable bag, then they have that right,” said Larry Grattan, “but it is wrong to force the other 90% of the people who freely choose plastic or paper bags to use reusable bags against their will.”
Signature gathering is expected to begin in early July. The petitioners will have 6 months to gather enough signatures to force the initiative to a vote of the people at the next general election or to force a special election if needed to stop implementation of a bag ban passed by the city council.
To read the press release in its entirety, click on the following link: https://fighttheplasticbagban.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/campbellinitiativepressrelease.pdf
New Video From Americans For Prosperity Titled “Common Sense”
David Spady from Americans For Prosperity – California created a video titled “Common Sense” where he discusses the outrageous hypocrisy of those who push plastic bags bans on communities in California. You can watch the video yourself by clicking on the following link:
http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=ahKQK2MDIjLXL3PNG&s=iuLWJeORLeLSK3MPIuG&m=glLVKaNVLoKXJlI
This video is well worth watching. If you think this video was worthwhile seeing please forward the link to people your friends.
Related articles
- Statement From American Progressive Bag Alliance On California Senate Bill 405 (prnewswire.com)
- Capitol Alert: California Senate trashes ban on plastic shopping bags (blogs.sacbee.com)
Sample Letter Opposing Bag Ban and Carryout Bag Fees
Assembly Member <Enter name Here>
I am requesting that you vote NO on any plastic bag ban or bag fee. A plastic bag ban is worse for the environment than the status quo. Currently, under the Clean Water Act and the local Total Maximum Daily Loads program, trash excluder or capture devices are being installed in storm drain catch basins or outfalls. This will capture and prevent trash including plastic bags from getting into creeks and rivers and flow to the ocean. 80% of plastic in the ocean comes from land based sources via the storm drain; hence, trash excluders will prevent most bags from reaching the ocean. While the solution is not 100%, a 100% solution is not required since not all plastic bags are banned. Furthermore, reusable bags are not all recyclable. Continue reading Sample Letter Opposing Bag Ban and Carryout Bag Fees
Plastic Bag Bans and Third World Nations
Proponents of plastic bag bans frequently list a number of third world nations where plastic carryout bags were banned. For example, countries such as Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Rwanda, Botswana, Uganda, Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Ghana where full or partial bans were adopted.
Most often cited is the severe flooding in Bangladesh that put most of the country underwater and blamed on plastic carryout bags. A careful examination of the issue will show that other factors are chiefly responsible. Continue reading Plastic Bag Bans and Third World Nations
Plastic Bag Ban Creates New Welfare Benefit
Local ordinances that implement plastic carryout bag bans are very similar from one community to the next. The ordinances ban the distribution of plastic carryout bags and impose a fee of 10 or 25 cents on paper bags to discourage paper bag use and encourage the use of reusable shopping bags.
One of the more interesting parts of the ordinance is the exemption granted to families that participate in the California Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) or in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) also known as the Food Stamp program. Participants in these programs are allowed to receive free paper bags when they shop; whereas, all others must purchase paper bags or purchase and use reusable bags. In addition, participants may be eligible for free reusable bags at the option of the store. Continue reading Plastic Bag Ban Creates New Welfare Benefit
Plastic Bag Ban Creates New Administrative Regulatory Burdens
Local ordinances that implement plastic carryout bag bans are very similar from one community to the next. The ordinances ban the distribution of plastic carryout bags and impose a fee of 10 or 25-cents on paper bags to discourage paper bag use and encourage the use of reusable shopping bags.
In addition to regulating bag use, the ordinances have annual or quarterly reporting provisions that require stores in the jurisdiction and subject to the ordinance to report the number of paper carryout bags issued and the amount of money collected for providing paper carryout bags. In addition the store must summarize the efforts undertaken to promote the use of reusable bags in the previous quarter. In other words, a new regulatory burden is created for the store that adds to the cost of doing business. The regulatory burden continues indefinitely or until the ordinance is no longer in effect or until the city directs that quarterly reporting cease.
On the city’s side, the quarterly reports must processed and evaluated and statistics developed to determine if the goals of the ordinance are being met. Of course, annual reports to the city manager and the city council will also be made. In addition, there are inspections of stores to determine that they are indeed complying with the ordinance.
Every store that is regulated by the ordinance will experience an increase in regulatory costs, which will have to be recovered from customers through higher food and merchandise prices.
In addition, the jurisdiction that implemented the Plastic Bag Ban will also incur thousands of dollars of costs annually in order to administer the ordinance. To spend thousands of taxpayer dollars to administer an ordinance that controls the type of bags residents use to carry groceries home from the supermarket is wasteful and plain stupid. Those tax dollars could be better spent fixing pot holes on city streets.
Fight The Plastic Bag Ban 