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Baltimore City's plastic bag ban dead, for now
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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Baltimore City will not become the second city in the nation to ban plastic grocery bags after lawmakers voted Monday night to kill a proposal requiring major supermarkets to nix them by 2010.
The City Council voted 3-11 after some lawmakers said the proposal would unfairly burden grocers already tackling escalating food prices.
“I think the concept is a good concept, but I think the timing happens to be off,” said District 2 Councilman Nicholas D’Adamo Jr. “And keep in mind, bags don’t litter. People do.”
The bill, sponsored by District 1 Councilman James Kraft, would have required supermarkets with at least $500,000 in annual sales to use only recyclable paper bags. Under amendments approved by a council committee last week, stores would post signs warning shoppers of the ban by Jan. 1 and implement it one year later.
On Monday, Kraft vowed to introduce legislation more palatable to grocers, saying plastic bags can take 1,000 years to degrade, choking Baltimore’s waterways and threatening wildlife.
“If we keep doing things they way we’ve always done them, then we will keep getting the results we’ve always gotten,” Kraft said.
Grocers at a hearing last week said paper bags aren’t necessarily more eco-friendly than paper, requiring four times as much energy to manufacture and ship, and costing about 5 cents per bag, compared with 2 cents for plastic.
Bags required under Kraft’s proposal could cost about 10 cents each, said Robert Santoni Jr. of Santoni’s market on Lombard Street, and those costs would be passed on to consumers.
Many consumers in low-income neighborhoods can’t afford reusable bags, either, he said.
“You might have people walking down the street with red meat or chicken wings under their arms,” he said.
The city of Annapolis shelved a similar proposal last year, and the idea never made it out of a General Assembly committee earlier this year.
Only San Francisco has passed a ban, though other cities are considering taxing plastic bags or requiring grocers to recycle them.
jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com
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8:05 AM MST on Tue., Sep. 23, 2008 re: "Baltimore City's plastic bag ban dead, for now"
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Nydia said:
I cannot believe with all the problems this city has that our reps are wasting so much time on plastic bags. I use plastic bags because I have pets. I use them in my house for trash. There are many uses for plastic bags and they save me money. If I didn't use the grocery plastic bags I would have to buy them for the purposes I mention above. Our reps should be working on solutions for the crime in this city, wasteful spending, the high cost of food, gas and other issues that affect us, their constituents, more than plastic bags. Plastic bags don't litter people do and we have laws against littering, why aren't they enforced? Shame on you for wasting my tax dollars on this nonsense. Apparently, you folks don’t seem to have a clue about what your constituents need. Open your eyes and take a good look at this city beyond the inner harbor. Deal with the real issues that affect your constituents or perhaps you're not up to the challenges. Stop micro-managing our lives.
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Examiner Reader said:
""" Look at the mounting litter and destruction humans' "freedom of choice" has brought to the environment""" -So am I right in assuming that you would glady give up your freedom of choice, and allow the government to make all of your decisions in order to protect the environment? When will we, as a nation, stop allowing the government to over-regulate every miniscule aspect of our lives? Plastic bags are bad for the environment? Who cares? What about important issues like health care, education, our broken tax code?
5 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
What are we dog owners going to do if there is a ban on plastic bags? After all, when one walks his or her little dog one needs to carry a scooper and a plastic bag since the law demands it. Any suggestions? Oh, forget about paper bags since paper bags leak.
4 agree | 2 disagree
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African American Woman said:
Using paper or plastic both have a negative affect on the environment. What you should be promoting is recycling. One of the ways we can work on keeping the city clean is to bring back the clean block contest they used to have back in the late 60’s and early 70’s but keep it going all year long. The city could also put recycling bins on the corners and classrooms instead of trash cans that you dump anything into.
3 agree | 2 disagree
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JF said:
"I think the concept is a good concept, but I think the timing happens to be off,” said District 2 Councilman Nicholas D’Adamo Jr. “And keep in mind, bags don’t litter. People do.” What a crock of...the timing is off??? WTH does that mean? Bags don't litter, people do??? Who cares? The problem is plastic! Plastic does not disintegrate into nothing - paper does. This is very disappointing - especially given that 11 of 14 council people voted it down. These people obviously don't represent their non-business voters.
3 agree | 2 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
You liberals make me laugh , and now we are going to use the trees again!Yes it is a big deal!
4 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I'm gonna buy blue bags from a private manufacturer on the net and still use them,HA HA!
5 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Whatever happened to global warming and saving trees? Do the tree huggers know about this proposal? Maybe it would be better if city residents just stopped throwing trash everywhere.
5 agree | 3 disagree
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Workin Stiff said:
Way to go Baltimore City Council!! With the city falling apart all around and the residents leaving by the bus load the council tackles the important job -- plastic bags. What a laughing stock the city council is, rampant crime, embarrassingly bad schools, grotesquely high property taxes, a revolving door justice system and recycling trash bags is being discussed.
6 agree | 4 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Hey you liberals ! What has happen that you are not saving the trees? This is why we went to plastic , don't you remember? I do!
3 agree | 3 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Plastic bags do not pollute ! People do.Now we are going to see paper bags all over the place!
3 agree | 4 disagree
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Libidiot said:
They need to print "Recycle this Bag" in Chinese and Spanish on every plastic bag
7 agree | 6 disagree
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gerryx21dlr said:
I worked for Walgreens in Santa Rosa where the manager had to put a plastic bag recycle bin near the register. I found out that he told his staff just to throw out the accumulated bags alsong with the regular trash. OMG! I decided to take responsibilty and took the full bin of bags to Safeway's recycling area without telling my manager. If Walgreens could, they would lobby against using paper over plastic, citing extra costs and not really caring about the environment, wildlife, etc. Walgreens is not a good company.
5 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I do not often agree with the Supervisors but this time i do. Next to fast food trash plastic bags are all over the place and I have to pick them up because the city does not. How about charging fast food vendors a clean up fee and use the fee to employ people (supervised of course) to pick up the trash.
8 agree | 6 disagree
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Pizza said:
It is not that difficult to use a reuseable bag. Clearly plastic bags are not being recycled - look at the streets in the city. Maybe we should grow up and take some responsibility for ourselves and stop whining that we're inconvenienced by environmentalists.
6 agree | 8 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Don't use paper bags because trees have to be killed to make them. Now don't use plastic. It's for the kids. It's for the kids. I'm so sick of hearing that. Let's stop living so we don't disrupt the environment.
5 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Smiley face fascists like James Kraft continue to use “green” legislation to increase government’s power to regulate every human activity. The functionally illiterate voters in the City will welcome this fascist legislation and then whine for more government welfare when the Baltimore City economy takes another hit.
9 agree | 6 disagree
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Student said:
The next generation will not complain about purchase tax or plastic old bags! Sell the trees for furniture not bags. Recycle!
6 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Look we can't even keep criminals off the streets what makes them think we can stop people from using plastic bags. Don't we have better stuff to worrie about than plastic bags? like the fall of Maryland due to O'ididnothingforthestatemalley.
6 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Let's not forget that it's not just supermarket shoppers who rely upon plastic bags to get groceries home. Just last week, when I shopped at a gift shop, a toy store, a beer store, a couple restaurants, bought girl scout cookies and got my shirts from a dry cleaner, all delivered my goods in plastic. Will we also ban newspapers being wrapped in plastic, or make it a crime to send our kids' lunches in plastic bags? This bill is completely ridiculous. As another reader stated, let's enforce the laws we already have instead of wasting state time & resources enacting new ones. I happen to reuse the grocery bags in my home's trash cans around the house, so they serve a useful purpose. My teenager, who is into saving trees, will have a heart attack if suddenly I require 15 huge paper bags to get my groceries. (I guarantee nobody will ever have enough of the reusable ones.)
8 agree | 6 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
When the handles fail in the supermarket paper bags or if the paper bags fail and you are carrying glass jars, bottles, and breakable items in them, send Ross Mikarimi the bill. His idea.
79 agree | 75 disagree
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Seven said:
At the Safeway I shop in the Sunset (San Francisco), I haven't seen much of an increase in use of reuseable bags. The city ban on plastic bags has been pretty much just a swap of plastic bags for paper bags. However, the Sunset was the only district to vote against the plastic bag ban in the first place.
84 agree | 79 disagree
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Bag Monster said:
I support politicians who resist pressure to set unreachable goals with unreasonable timetables on environmental issues. Additionally, I commend the mayor for encouraging people to use “recyclable materials” like plastic bags! Glad to know some people are being realistic about environmental issues even in the wake of uber-Liberal San Francisco’s bag ban. Plastic grocery bags are recyclable, so what’s with trying to ban plastic bags? It's hard being a Bag Monster!
129 agree | 119 disagree
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Jeff, an Independent said:
First it was paper bags killing trees, now it is plastic bags killing the environment? Has anybody ever heard of the term "recycling"?
138 agree | 102 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Oh you've got to be kidding. Bery Scher of Giant likening banning plastic bags to banning cars. OK then, let's ban plastic bags and install speed limitation devices on cars (the way people drive in this state, it could only help). Even better is Safeway's Ten Eyk hiding behind the old "un-American" line...the ultimate in lame attempts to stop an argument! Look at the mounting litter and destruction humans' "freedom of choice" has brought to the environment! Quit being so ego-centric and grab a reuseable bag or two or three. Keep forgetting to bring them back to your car? Put them on the handle of your front door after you've unpacked them. This is something SO SIMPLE that will only have a positive impact for the environment and the animals that presently suffer because of human selfish laziness. I can't wait to see this ban enacted!
215 agree | 238 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Howzabout if you don't like plastic bags, don't take them. Don't force your bag preference on me. Improper disposal of bags is the problem, not the bags themselves. And littering is already a crime. Oh, that's right... we don't enforce laws in Maryland, only make new ones.
209 agree | 202 disagree
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starbrite said:
I think this is a fabulous idea, hooray for progress! However, opponents raise some very valid points. The primary problem is that, without plastic (or paper, either, I would suggest), just what ARE you going to bring your purchases home in? Some say use the reusable bags. Great idea, for those of us who have and use them. I keep some in my car for when I shop, as does my family, and I have a few friends who do as well. But there've been a number of times I left them at home or I was out with a friend and didn't have them, and the store didn't have any left. Many, many, many businesses don't carry reusable bags. On top of that, most people may just end up accumulating more and more of the reusables - and likely just throw them out. NOT a solution! Hopefully the ban will force people to change their habits - although if in 10 years only 1% of all plastic bags are recycled annually, my guess is that human nature - laziness - invariably will make or break the success of this effort.
258 agree | 201 disagree
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Mink said:
I think that we should ban plastic bags because they are not good for the enviroment. Also whenever you drive you see atleast one on the side of the road that one careless person through out their window. Animals could die from this and also it causes global warming.
272 agree | 265 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I'd like to see the plastic bag ban extended to everyone, not just large chains. I see more bags that say "thank you" on them floating around or in the streets than ones that say "Riteaid", "Walgreens", "Safeway" or "Albertsons". Everyone needs to take responsibility including small businesses. It will not kill people to get in the habit of carrying a reusable bag when they go shopping, or to not use a bag for something that will fit in their purse.
285 agree | 257 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
this is a great article. rigefield should conserve more too!!!
278 agree | 281 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Hey Keeks this is for you, this is a cool article and may be a good idea to have everywhere.
274 agree | 274 disagree
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