Tag Archives: Los Angeles

Referendum Puts Bag Banners on Defensive

November 12, 2014Citizens Fighting Back, Economic Costs, Local Ordinances, Statewide Bag BanAbraham Lincoln, Arkansas, Ashley Swearengin, Bill (law), California, California State Water Resources Control Board, Colorado River, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Los Angeles, United States House of RepresentativesAnthony van Leeuwen

On September 30, 2014, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation, SB-270 (Padilla) that will implement the nation’s first statewide ban on the distribution of single-use plastic bags; the plastic bags that customers use to carry their groceries home. (Press Secretary, 2014)

The American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA), opposed to Governor Jerry Brown’s decision to sign SB-270 (Padilla) into law, immediately filed the necessary legal paperwork to conduct a referendum in an attempt to overturn the new law. (American Progressive Bag Alliance, 2014)

Subsequently, on 10 October 2014, California Secretary of State, Debra Bowen announced that the proponent of the referendum may begin gathering signatures. The proponent must collect a total of 504,760 valid signatures from registered voters which must be submitted by December 29, 2014 to county election officials. If sufficient valid signatures are obtained, the measure would qualify for the November 2016 ballot. At that time a majority of voters will have the opportunity to affirm or reject the ban on plastic bags. (Bowen, 2014) Continue reading Referendum Puts Bag Banners on Defensive →

Reason Foundation Releases New Studies That Question Plastic Bag Bans

June 25, 2014Carryout Bag Fees, Economic Costs, Environmental Impacts, Freedom and Liberty, Local Ordinances, Paper Carryout Bags, Plastic Bag Litter, Plastic Carryout Bag Ban, Plastic Carryout Bags, Reusable Bag Health Hazards, Statewide Bag BanAlex Padilla, California, Julian Morris, Los Angeles, Plastic bag, Reason Foundation, Reusable shopping bag, Shopping bagAnthony van Leeuwen

Reason Foundation, a public policy research organization recently released several studies that raise serious questions about plastic bag ban and the associated environmental and economic impacts. The articles and associated documents can be downloaded by clicking on the article links.

In a column titled “California’s Proposed Plastic Bag Ban Would Cost Consumers But Wouldn’t Improve the Environment” researchers Julian Morris and Lance Christensen claim that banning lightweight plastic bags would likely increase our use of energy and water and increase greenhouse gas emissions and would not substantially reduce litter or reduce the cost of litter removal. In addition, they state it is difficult for California’s political class to justify imposing the more than $2 billion it would cost the state’s consumers.

In a study titled “An Evaluation of the Effects of California’s Proposed Plastic Bag Ban” researchers Julian Morris and Lance Christensen look at bag bans implemented by local jurisdictions and the recently introduced bill by State Senator Alex Padilla (SB 270) that would impose a statewide ban. They state the premise of these laws is to benefit the environment and reduce municipal costs; but, that in practice the opposite occurs. They state that available evidence suggests that these laws will do nothing to protect the environment, will waste resources, and cost Californian’s billions of dollars.

In a study titled “How Green Is that Grocery Bag Ban?” researchers Julian Morris and Brian Seasholes assess the environmental and economic effects of grocery bag bans and taxes. The researchers noted that the bag bans have a miniscule impact on litter, does not reduce litter collection costs, does not reduce environmental impacts including greenhouse gas emissions, more than likely has an adverse health effect from people not washing reusable bags, and that using reusable bags are inconvenient and costly, and that the cost of bag bans disproportionately fall on the poor.

Using Reusable Bags: It’s Not That Easy

February 10, 2014Carryout Bag Fees, Economic Costs, Freedom and Liberty, Paper Carryout Bags, Plastic Carryout Bags, Reusable Bag Health Hazards, Reusable Shopping BagsBacteria and Virus, Disease Transmission, Grocery store, Left Bags in Car, Los Angeles, Paper bag, Plastic bag, Reusable Bag Management, Reusable shopping bag, Santa Monica, Santa Monica California, Shopping, Shopping bag, Wasted TimeAnthony van Leeuwen

One of the most often heard claims by those who advocate imposing bag bans on everyone else, is that using reusable bags is not very hard to do. Here are a few of their typical statements:

“I’ve happily been using reusable bags for years, so others should too.”
“What’s the big deal about remembering to bring your bag?”
“Some people will resist it at first, but eventually they will change and get used to it.”
“Sometimes it is hard to change habits, but people will change. They just need encouragement.”
“Look! I carry a few compacted reusable bags right on my purse strap!”
“It is easy! It isn’t so hard!”

These statements are often delivered in an exasperated or condescending tone, implying that people are making a big deal out of nothing. The real basis for their argument is this: They do it, so others should not complain when they are forced to do it as well.

Setting aside the argument about whether or not it is right to force others to adopt an assumed green lifestyle, we wanted to examine why using reusable bags is challenging and why compliance with using reusable bags is so low, even in communities that have already implemented bag bans.

Statistics

Surveys at grocery stores before and after bag bans show that most people are choosing not to use reusable bags. In San Jose, the number of customers leaving grocery stores with no bag went up from 12.9% to 43.5% and the number of customers using paper bags went up from 10.3% to 18.8% after the bag ban. (Romanov, 2012) Similarly, in Santa Monica customers with no bag went up from 15% to 36% and paper bags went up from 5% to 29%. (Team Marine, 2013) The statistics for non-grocery stores are even worse, with an abysmal 8% of shoppers using reusable bags almost 2 years after the bag ban. (van Leeuwen & Williams, 2013, p. 12)

Using reusable bags must not be that easy, since the vast majority of shoppers avoid using these bags and choose to use either paper bags or no bags at all over reusable bags by a ratio of about two to one. (van Leeuwen & Williams, 2013)

To read the rest of the article, click on the following link: Using Reusable Bags Not That Easy