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Bellingham - Plastic Bags Banned by City Council, Passed 7-0

7/12/2011

2 Comments

 
If you haven't heard...Bellingham moved one step forward in its quest to make-over the public.  Eco-activist control freaks are on a "green scare" tear though this town, it seems.

From the Bellingham Herald:

Bellingham council votes 7-0 to approve plastic bag ban
July 11th, 2011
From Paben

The Bellingham City Council just voted 7-0 to approve the plastic bag ban.

Plastic bag ban poised for passage tonight
July 11th, 2011
From Stark

The Bellingham City Council appears to be ready to pass an ordinance to ban the use of plastic shopping bags at all retailers in the city.

The ordinance cleared the council’s Natural Resources committee on a 4-0 vote Monday afternoon July 11, with Chairman Seth Fleetwood and members Michael Lilliquist, Barry Buchanan and Gene Knutson voting. Two other council members in attendance, Terry Bornemann and Jack Weiss, also indicated their support for the measure.

If the council does approve it, the bag ban would take effect in one year after passage. Besides banning the use of lightweight disposable plastic shopping bags, the ordinance would also require retailers to charge customers five cents for each disposable paper bag they use.

The extra nickels are meant to help retailers cover the higher cost of the paper bags while giving shoppers an incentive to remember their reusable bags.

Under the legal procedure for adopting a new ordinance, the measure must get a second, final vote at another council meeting.

The seven-page ordinance contains a few complexities:
  • Low-income people can be exempted from the nickel paper bag fee;
  • A store can get a temporary exemption from the law that would be granted by the mayor, if that store can demonstrate a special hardship
  • Paper bags provided to shoppers must be made from 40 percent recycled materials;
  • Restaurants are still permitted to offer disposable plastic bags for take-out foods.
  • Small paper bags can be offered to shoppers for small items, free of charge.
Read more: http://blogs.bellinghamherald.com/politics/#ixzz1RueBmqq0

Comments?
2 Comments
Karl Uppiano link
7/16/2011 06:33:46 am

Are biodegradable plastic shopping bags the biggest problem Bellingham faces? I think not, because few people were talking about it until a few days before the city council shoved the shopping bag ban down our throats. If it isn’t high on the Bellinghamsters’ agenda, then whose agenda is it? And why is it being imposed on us?

In a free country, when consumers identify a problem, they demand solutions from their producers. Then consumers vote with their dollars for the preferred solution. But no, here we use the force of government to compel everyone to adopt The Agenda, and implement the prescribed solution – under penalty of law.

Mind you, this is not about the bags. This is about freedom. Thomas Jefferson said, “The natural order of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.” To preserve our freedom, we have to fight “the natural order of things”, even over silly things, such as bag bans.

Retailers supporting the ban include Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Haggen, Village Books, Paper Dreams, Terra Organica… maybe others. Please vote with your dollars to let them know, they can promote environmental awareness without disrespecting your freedom so trivially.

Reply
Loi Walton
7/17/2011 09:52:45 am

If they ban plastic bags what will it be next...baby's diapers? This is another baby step taken by the city council towards taking away our rights as U.S. citizens, taxpayers and voters on what I would call a major issue. It is not o.k. to take away our plastic bags without a fair vote in November!

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