Comments on: Oakland to follow San Francisco’s plastic bag ban http://www.genexe.com/local/oakland-to-follow-san-franciscos-plastic-bag-ban/ Generation Exe - Green 2.0 promotes green technology and sustainability Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:54:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: China bans plastic bags http://www.genexe.com/local/oakland-to-follow-san-franciscos-plastic-bag-ban/comment-page-1/#comment-250 China bans plastic bags Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:00:21 +0000 http://www.genexe.com/?p=191#comment-250 [...] China just announced that they are going to be banning thin plastic bags from being handed out at stores and supermarkets. The cabinet said that finance athorities should also consider raising taxes that discourage the production and sale of plastic bags. China uses up to 3 billion plastic bags a day and refines 5 million tons of crude oil every year to make the plastics that are used for packaging. Several different countries around the world have been doing something similar in banning bags and taxing the production of thin plastic bags. Previous entries about plastic bag bans are here and here. [...] [...] China just announced that they are going to be banning thin plastic bags from being handed out at stores and supermarkets. The cabinet said that finance athorities should also consider raising taxes that discourage the production and sale of plastic bags. China uses up to 3 billion plastic bags a day and refines 5 million tons of crude oil every year to make the plastics that are used for packaging. Several different countries around the world have been doing something similar in banning bags and taxing the production of thin plastic bags. Previous entries about plastic bag bans are here and here. [...]

]]> By: V Smoothe http://www.genexe.com/local/oakland-to-follow-san-franciscos-plastic-bag-ban/comment-page-1/#comment-14 V Smoothe Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:39:57 +0000 http://www.genexe.com/?p=191#comment-14 No problem. The SFGate article had several errors. I would like to see the City Council reject the ordinance as written and return with a more carefully considered report and proposal that includes a consumer education campaign about reusable bags and perhaps some funding to provide them. Without this I believe that the ordinance will do more harm than good. No problem. The SFGate article had several errors.

I would like to see the City Council reject the ordinance as written and return with a more carefully considered report and proposal that includes a consumer education campaign about reusable bags and perhaps some funding to provide them. Without this I believe that the ordinance will do more harm than good.

]]> By: admin http://www.genexe.com/local/oakland-to-follow-san-franciscos-plastic-bag-ban/comment-page-1/#comment-13 admin Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:07:05 +0000 http://www.genexe.com/?p=191#comment-13 Thanks V Smoothe for the updates. Some of the info was just taken from the SFGate article. Thanks V Smoothe for the updates. Some of the info was just taken from the SFGate article.

]]> By: V Smoothe http://www.genexe.com/local/oakland-to-follow-san-franciscos-plastic-bag-ban/comment-page-1/#comment-12 V Smoothe Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:51:29 +0000 http://www.genexe.com/?p=191#comment-12 A few corrections to this story. 1. 10% of oil is not used to make plastic <i>bags</i>. 10% of oil in the US is used to make <i>all plastic</i>. 12 million barrels of oil are used annually to make all plastic bags used in the US. To put the number in perspective, that amount is equivalent to roughly 35 gallons of gasoline per Bay Area resident. 2. The measure has not been passed in Oakland. <a href="http://www.abetteroakland.com/?p=18" rel="nofollow">It has been forwarded from the city's Public Works Committee to the City Council</a>. The City Council will first consider the ordinance on Tuesday. 3. Nowhere in the ordinance is there anything about educating the public about reusable bags. In fact, the staff report explicitly rejects consumer education as ineffective. With no effort by the city to encourage the use of reusable bags, the effect will simply be for people to switch to paper bags, <a href="http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=7" rel="nofollow">which are far worse for the environment than plastic</a> and take the same about of time to degrade. 4. On Sunday, a state law will go into effect creating mandatory plastic bag recycling programs at supermarkets. Neither the staff report nor the ordinance addresses the potential impacts of this new policy. <a href="http://www.abetteroakland.com/?p=17" rel="nofollow">Click here for more information about Oakland's bag ban</a> A few corrections to this story.

1. 10% of oil is not used to make plastic bags. 10% of oil in the US is used to make all plastic. 12 million barrels of oil are used annually to make all plastic bags used in the US. To put the number in perspective, that amount is equivalent to roughly 35 gallons of gasoline per Bay Area resident.

2. The measure has not been passed in Oakland. It has been forwarded from the city’s Public Works Committee to the City Council. The City Council will first consider the ordinance on Tuesday.

3. Nowhere in the ordinance is there anything about educating the public about reusable bags. In fact, the staff report explicitly rejects consumer education as ineffective. With no effort by the city to encourage the use of reusable bags, the effect will simply be for people to switch to paper bags, which are far worse for the environment than plastic and take the same about of time to degrade.

4. On Sunday, a state law will go into effect creating mandatory plastic bag recycling programs at supermarkets. Neither the staff report nor the ordinance addresses the potential impacts of this new policy.

Click here for more information about Oakland’s bag ban

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