Recycling plastic increases consumption

"Plastic Fantastic Love," an article by Surfrider Foundation Hawaii manager Stuart Coleman, appeared in the Honolulu Weekly today. It gives a thorough explanation of the problem of plastics, and the threats it poses to marine life, public health, and a sustainable planet.

It also includes this excellent quote from Oregon Surfrider activist (and my friend) Stiv Wilson:

“Though we believe that material recovery in the waste stream is important, plastic recycling is not the ultimate solution,” says Stiv Wilson, a journalist and ocean activist who worked with the Surfrider Foundation to help pass bag bans in the Pacific Northwest. “Industry, by their own admission, can’t make a bag out of a bag. It takes 70 percent virgin plastic to create a new bag, which means all we’re doing by plastic recycling is creating more, not less plastic in the world, while giving the average, good intentioned citizen the illusion of progress. This is precisely why industry pushes plastic recycling–it’s a guaranteed increase in consumption, but it ultimately does nothing to reduce the amount of plastic garbage entering the ocean.”

Emphasis mine.

Implementing a Bag Fee Program

Montgomery County's 5-cent fee on plastic and paper shopping bags takes effect on January 1, 2012, but there is much advance work required to ensure success.

Through an outreach campaign called "Fight Litter, Bring Your Own Bag," the county is already taking steps to educate residents and retailers of the law's requirements, and to assist low-income and senior citizens by distributing free reusable bags. The county plans to distribute 75,000 free reusable bags before January, through county departments and agencies, as well as community partnerships serving lower-income households.

The county will be meeting with large retailers and industry representatives to educate businesses about the law, and will provide decals, signs, and posters for display in shop windows and at cash registers to help retail staff and the public. Unlike the similar existing bag program in Washington, DC, Montgomery County's bag fee will be charged at all retailers. (DC's fee only applies at stores that have a food license.)

Finally, the county is creating a database to track the law's effectiveness, to demonstrate the change in the number of bags used and those found in the litter stream.

Revenues from the fee will support the Water Quality Improvement Fund, which supports stormwater projects and watershed protection.

Surfer Kyle Thiermann Lays It All Out

Kyle Thiermann, a pro surfer and the spirit behind Surfing for Change, produced this great, short (4 minutes!) video that sums up why we should switch out single-use bottles and bags for reusables, and how easy it is to do it.



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Chestertown Bans Plastic Bags

Chestertown, a town of about 5000 residents on the Eastern Shore, has banned plastic bags! The ban was the brainchild of Mayor Margo Bailey, who has been pushing for the law for two years. She cites the pollution and litter problem, as well as the petroleum used in the bags' manufacturing, as reasons to eliminate their use within the town's limits.

The law wasn't passed without drama. At a public hearing in March, town resident Kevin Walsh was arrested for disorderly conduct after yelling at police officers, according to the Star-Democrat. He came to the hearing sporting an orange jumpsuit and a tricorn hat, along with a sign of protest.

The vote was delayed until April 4 to allow for some changes, but ultimately passed 3-2. Citizens then mounted a signature campaign to try to put the issue to a vote on the November ballot, but came up short in the number of signatures required. Much of the discontent centered on activists' views that the town government was overstepping its bounds (hence that tricorn hat).

The ordinance goes into effect January 19, nine months after its effective date. It prohibits the distribution of single-use plastic bags by merchants within town, except by take-out food businesses and for compostable plastic bags. Fines are $100 for a first offense, and $200 for subsequent offenses. The language of the ordinance is posted on www.chestertown.com.

Chestertown is the county seat of Kent County, and has two major grocery stores, Acme and SuperFresh. Thus this ban will have an impact on shoppers from around the county, who drive to the town for errands.