Plastic Bag Makers Zip Lock California Senate

Last June, in a rash moment of environmental fervor, I wrote that California was poised to be the first state to sharply reduce the use of plastic bags at retail outlets.

The bill, AB 1998, passed the Assembly and was supported by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

They were joined by environmental groups angry at seeing plastic wrappers pollute our rivers, beaches and ocean. Their theme song sung by Hollywood celebrities such as Julia Louis-Dreyfus was that what took seconds at a grocery checkout stand would last an eternity to disintegrate since it is not a biodegradable material.

Enter stage right the plastic bag manufacturers lobby that cried it would be a biodegradable victim itself costing the state with an unemployment rate of 13% more jobs.

Tuesday night the state senate killed the bill. “I think we missed a great opportunity,” said the measure’s author, Julia Brownley (D- Santa Monica).

Some California cities and others throughout the country have enacted ordinances restricting or banning plastic bags.

It depends on how environmentally relevant the issue evolves in each community. In my Southern California city, most retailers charge between a nickel to 25 cents for plastic bags which is knocked off as a credit if shoppers provide their own carryout devices.

The TV ad wars were poignant. One said you can take all the discarded plastic bottles and ring the earth with them several times around.

(Images courtesy cswd.com; india.carbon-outlook.com)

Cross posted on The Remmers Report

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