Bag This—Plastic Bag Ban
Plastic bags account for a small percentage of the overall waste stream but the damage they do can be devastating, especially in the marine environment. Although they can be recycled, the fact is that fewer than 5% of plastic bags ever make it that far. Most end up in landfills and out into the wider ecosystem. Recycling rates have continued to fall with China no longer accepting US bags for processing and locations around the country looking for other solutions.
Bag bans have emerged as a popular and effective way to work on eliminating the problem at the source. California recently enacted a state-wide ban that will begin to go into effect next year, and the fact that our most populous state has made this move tips the balance significantly when the discussion turns to the possibility of future bans in other places. In Washington State, 12 communities have already enacted bag bans and more are poised to follow soon.
Tacoma is the one big city along the I-5 corridor that still insists on single-use plastic bags. Bellingham, Seattle, Olympia, Portland: all of these (and other smaller towns in between), have already put bans into place. There is work underway to support similar legislation in Tacoma… the struggle continues and there are many ways to get involved.
Tacoma uses about 90 million single-use plastic bags every year. The argument for continuing to do so is beginning to sound hollow, especially as so many other communities have taken the positive step of removing them from their towns. There is a sense of inevitability about the ultimate demise of plastic bags, but there is also the feeling that it would say something about this community’s commitment to the environment if we were more proactive on the issue. There is still hope that the council will proceed at some point, and soon.
Regardless of the immediate political and practical portions of the plastic bag issue, reusable bags will go a long way to a solution. Cotton bags are great and can be washed and used for years; other poly bags are made with recycled plastic and – when they reach the end of their runs – can be recycled again. Keep them clean and accessible and get in the habit of having them with you when you shop. A letter to the editor of The News Tribune or other local newspapers or to a member of the city council making the case for a bag ban is also helpful. Beach cleanups organized by local environmental and access groups offer another good opportunity to get involved.
Every piece of plastic ever made is still in existence. Polyethylene and the rest will break down into smaller and smaller pieces but they will never really go away. Plastic bags represent the worst side of our throw-away society and are rightly being identified as unnecessary and wasteful by more and more people and communities. Something that lasts forever should never be considered disposable
by Ken Campbell