http://c3.newdream.org/blog/2008/01/17/new-york-city-council-passes-plastic-bag-bill/ Big Changes Start With Small Steps Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:02:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 http://c3.newdream.org/blog/2008/01/17/new-york-city-council-passes-plastic-bag-bill/#comment-405 Jaci Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:50:09 +0000 http://c3.newdream.org/blog/2008/01/17/new-york-city-council-passes-plastic-bag-bill/#comment-405 I hope other stores can join Whole Foods in offering small discounts for returned bags. Considering the bags are already left at home rather than reused, discounting seems to be the best way to encourage people to return them. I hope other stores can join Whole Foods in offering small discounts for returned bags. Considering the bags are already left at home rather than reused, discounting seems to be the best way to encourage people to return them.

]]> http://c3.newdream.org/blog/2008/01/17/new-york-city-council-passes-plastic-bag-bill/#comment-257 Meghan Wed, 23 Jan 2008 02:42:23 +0000 http://c3.newdream.org/blog/2008/01/17/new-york-city-council-passes-plastic-bag-bill/#comment-257 Why not promote a PlasTax instead like Ireland did?? The bags will still be produced and the chances of people actually bringing them back to the store are slim. This isn't as great as the politicians want you to think. Why not promote a PlasTax instead like Ireland did?? The bags will still be produced and the chances of people actually bringing them back to the store are slim. This isn’t as great as the politicians want you to think.

]]> http://c3.newdream.org/blog/2008/01/17/new-york-city-council-passes-plastic-bag-bill/#comment-248 Rejin Fri, 18 Jan 2008 20:14:55 +0000 http://c3.newdream.org/blog/2008/01/17/new-york-city-council-passes-plastic-bag-bill/#comment-248 The P.B.A. is not an unlikely supporter of this bill at all. They are a lobbying group that seems to have been formed by the plastics industry just to counter the wave of plastic bags ban initiatives. They support placing recycling bins in stores because it allows them to continue distributing their products and making money. Unfortunately the bill provides no incentive for consumers to return the bags for recycling, so the return rate is unlikely to be more than the 3% or so that other areas have gotten with this approach. So it is really more a pro-plastic bill than a pro-environment bill. The P.B.A. is not an unlikely supporter of this bill at all. They are a lobbying group that seems to have been formed by the plastics industry just to counter the wave of plastic bags ban initiatives. They support placing recycling bins in stores because it allows them to continue distributing their products and making money. Unfortunately the bill provides no incentive for consumers to return the bags for recycling, so the return rate is unlikely to be more than the 3% or so that other areas have gotten with this approach. So it is really more a pro-plastic bill than a pro-environment bill.

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