Of course the rubber stamp came out with all the present city council members agreeing to ask the Citizens Environmental Committee to draft a new ordinance for banning single use plastic bags. No discussion, nothing but the usual AYE, AYE, AYE, AYE, AYE, AYE, AYE..........
Well friends, here are some facts: PS, Jay, Sergio, take a look:
The above charts and data were supplied by the group: Bag the Ban. Here is their information:
Bag the Ban is a project of Hilex Poly, an industry-leading manufacturer of recycled content high density polyethylene (HDPE) bags, films and related products. A US-based company with more than 1,250 employees across America, Hilex is also an environmental innovator—the company created the world's largest closed loop plastic bag recycling plant, which recycled more than 20 million pounds of post-consumer bags and films in 2010 alone. The plastic bag industry in the USA employs more than 30,000 Americans and supports thousands more who supply products and services to this uniquely American-based market.
Bag the Ban was developed in response to proposed laws nationwide that would ban or tax plastic grocery bags. As a participant and endorser of the EPA's WasteWise Program, Hilex is deeply committed to the environment—the company is the world's largest recycler of plastic bags, and proud to manufacture high-quality, lead-free plastic shopping bags—but Hilex doesn't agree with banning and taxing bags.
Hilex believes in a better solution, one that increases plastic shopping bag recycling across the country without banning products or taxing families. Thank you for visiting Bag the Ban—please join the effort to prevent bans on plastic shopping bags.
For more information about Hilex, visit www.hilexpoly.com.
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ReplyDeleteYour comment was deleted because I do not post gossip or questions about who is or is not related to somebody. If you know for a fact that someone is related to a person and it is newsworthy, I will keep the comment. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this Tom. I spoke to Cindy Liendo Espinoza yesterday and she was able to confirm that there is no one from the business community sitting on the environmental committee, only tree huggers (since you asked on a different blog). It's really the same committee members that tried to pass this moronic ban the last time. This time, however, the business community is not going to attend the committee meetings since it is a huge waste of time trying to deal with so-called environmentalists that have already made up their (small) minds. If the ordinance gets to council, the business community will be there to kill the ban again regardless of what Alex Perez wants or thinks. If they come up with a "reduction ordinance" that is fair and can be effectively managed, then there will be room to talk. Otherwise, the city does not have enough Code Enforcement officers to enforce any ordinance, let alone a full plastic bag ban.
ReplyDeleteTom Wade, a lot of that data you put on this post offers a false comparison becasue no one is saying that we should step up the use of paper bags as the use plastic bags is reduced. Also on the radio, you said that the trash bags that litter our landscape are the bags that fly out a guy's pickup trucks. I wonder what facts you are using to back up that assertion in particular.
ReplyDeleteAnon, at 12:45, I never said we should go back to paper bags. Some of the information I posted makes comparisons, but no where do I read where it says we should return to paper. I think the comparisons being made is that plastic is more environmentally favorable than paper. Hence the switch to plastic from paper.
ReplyDeleteAnd as far as me saying that a lot of the trash bags that litter our landscape, I mentioned two scenarios, one the trash flying out a pickup truck, and two, the lack of lids on drum type trash cans. Now, there is no science behind these observations, and they are just that, observations.
Common sense has to kick in here some where. I ask you this: When, and I am assuming you did this at one time before you obviously switched to reusable bags, when you got groceries from the store in plastic bags, did you throw them outside in a trash can, or did you put them in an indoor trash can which had a plastic trash bag of some sort? If you put them in the trash, maybe if your like most people, after you had reused the plastic bag, then they most likely never got into the wind.
Now, what I was saying this morning was that most of the plastic bags hanging on fences come from convenience stores versus the grocery store. Again, purely anecdotal assumption based on common sense. You go into a convenience store and buy a bottle of water you are going to drink in the car, and they put it in a bag. You get rid the bag some way or another before you get home most likely. I bet, again based on common sense that the bag gets loose in that manner and ends up on the side of the road, just like the paper cups, plastic bottles, glass bottles, diapers, boxes and a whole host of other trash.
So, again, as I said this morning, instead of a ban, let's look at educating the convenience store clerks that they should only offer a plastic bag if one is requested and let's see where that takes us.
Bottom line, a plastic bag ban will not solve or alleviate the litter problem in Laredo or any other community.
You talk about common sense, yet you don't make sense in your statement.
DeleteI love your use of common sense to beef up your arguments as well as using false premises to "prove" your points. Plastic is more environmentally friendly than paper? These facts were no doubt produced by the plastics industry. What is the source of these "facts."
ReplyDeleteI presented no false premise. If you are old enough, you remember when paper sacks were the only bagging method used in grocery stores. Paper bags were deemed a danger to trees, and a big effort by environmentalist in the late 70's helped push people to plastic bags. Since then, plastic bags have evolved into what we use today and paper bags at grocery stores have pretty much disappeared. That is not a false premise.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I thought the last slide in the post had the logo for Bag the Ban, who prepared the slides. So, I have added the websites "About us" information. You can take it from there. And yes, they are plastic bag industry produced slide. So what? They don't get to have a say in what happens to their industry.
You continually attack my post, which is fine, but you fail to tell me why you want a plastic bag ban. I hope you argument for the ban is more than what has been presented, or has not been presented, so far:
Well other cities did it, so should we.
Well I am tired of seeing bags on fences and in trees.
We will save lots of money by eliminating bags.
What are your reasons?
Nice try Tom. If all the bags are coming from convenience stores then perhaps we should just ban the convenience stores from giving plastic bags. I mean how many items can you buy at a convenience store that you can't carry to your car?
ReplyDeleteSecondly, you cleverly use observational data to support your positions. Most bags come flying from the backs of pickup trucks after they have purchased an item at a convenience store? That is laughable. Observational data is the least reliable of data gathering techniques.
And finally, I am not here to argue for or against the ban. I find amusement in your powers of persuasion which is why I point out the ridiculousness in your posts. However if I was in favor of the ban (currently undecided) then what is wrong with the litter argument or the cost of clogged drains, animals chocking on bags, etc... It's true I have observed these things happen with plastic bags. It must be true.
Hey professor, Tom is right, and you are laughable. First off, observational data is a perfect and sometimes preferred scientific method for creating a hypothesis, which is all Tom did. And his hypothesis makes much more sense than anything you have said.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you think these plastic bags come from professor?
Second, you are obviously a fence rider, who has a position on everything, but is afraid to let others know because you don't want to be ridiculed.
You are the worst kind of troll.
I gave up bags altogether and use a "box" instead. CRESBI crates are lightweight plastic crates designed for grocery shopping that stack, collapse and are dishwasher safe. Plus they also hold more than most bags and can replace up to 6 bags depending on what you're buying. They save time too since I open the crates as I shop and turn barcodes up on my items as I place them in the crates. Then the checker scans my items in each crate and hands the crates back to me. Checkers love this because it increases their scans per minute...I use different colors for food - red for meat, green for veggies, etc. You can get them in a washable bag or a cooler or bigger crate to carry them or even with wheels. CRESBI.com, Definitely cost more but worth it to me to not have to mess with bags at all and to save time and to take control over how my stuff gets packed. Plus the company will take back your reusable bags (since virtually no recycling center will take them) and give you a 5 cent credit per bag towards a CRESBI purchase.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your statement in this section. I had truly enjoyed what you had to say about Cotton Bag These comments have really supported my zeal in writing for several of the newest topics.
ReplyDeleteHello Everybody,
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