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The other side of the argument

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Illinois

* The Tribune editorial board comes down hard against a plastic bag bill…

The bill is the result of a 2008 law, the Plastic Bag Recycling Act, which called for — you guessed it — a task force to study the Plastic Bag Problem. How to solve it? Here’s what is in the bill, now before the House:

•Require manufacturers of plastic bags and plastic wrap to register annually with the IEPA and pay a $500 fee.

•Require manufacturers of plastic bags to print their company names on the bags.

•Require manufacturers of plastic bags to create and maintain a plan for collecting and recycling plastic bags and submit their plan to the IEPA. That plan must include collection locations and a public education campaign.

•Require manufacturers of plastic bags to submit a report to the IEPA annually with a description of recycling and collection efforts, including weight in pounds of the bags — and plastic wrap — collected.

It gets worse. Retailers — from your local grocer to your Chinese carry-out — would be prohibited from buying plastic bags from manufacturers who aren’t following all the rules.

Yet the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, which represents store owners, and the plastics industry support the bill. Why? We suspect it’s because the bill blocks every town outside of Chicago from putting a ban, a tax or regulation on plastic bags. The bill even says plastic bag recycling is a state function.

This sets up a big state regulatory scheme and stomps on the authority of local government.

The Senate passed the bill 36 -15. The House should stop it.

You wonder how government gets so big? How state statute books grow by the inch each year? How spending goes up here and there, everywhere?

This is how.

Those are all decent points, but there is another side to this story. The Illinois Retail Merchants Association prefers consistent laws across the state, mainly because so many of its members are chain stores that operate in many different towns and counties. So, I can easily see why IRMA would back this change.

Cities across the country are passing or taking up plastic bag bans on their own. If it’s done right, getting out in front of what could end up as a crazy local patchwork quilt of varying ordinances and penalties can definitely be a good thing.

The bill is here.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 9:44 am

Comments

Why do we care what the Chicago Tribune thinks?

Comment by Tired Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 9:55 am
–You wonder how government gets so big? How state statute books grow by the inch each year? How spending goes up here and there, everywhere?–

I thought it was Medicaid, education, transportation and public safety.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 10:01 am
Thanks Legislators, for doing your part for Earth Day and proposing this bill. SNARK ALERT!!! Really? Besides adding to the costs of doing business in Illinois, this bill addresses a minor issue at a time of near Apocalypse in Illinois. Focus on what’s really important - please!!!

Comment by Both Sides Now Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 10:07 am
Let the market sort it out. It always provides a more preferable result.

Comment by Burning Down da House Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 10:11 am
Another task force, another study, more regulations and the bills still not being paid. Does it ever end?

Comment by Oberver Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 10:13 am
–addresses a minor issue at a time of near Apocalypse in Illinois. Focus on what’s really important - please!!!–

I think Plastic Bag legislation was foretold in the Book of Daniel.

If the apocalypse is coming, I better dig up my baptism and confirmation paperwork.

Look out for four dudes on horses.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 10:16 am
Spend, spend, spend….

Comment by Liberty First Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 10:32 am
I’d prefer a ban on plastic bags, but let’s get real Tribune. Very few municipalities will enact laws banning the sale or use of products. So it’s not that big of a deal for a statewide program that has some government oversight.

More importantly, this bill puts the responsibility squarely on the manufacturers and retailers, not local government, to set up the collection and recycling infrastructure, plus do some education.

Finally, most plastic bags are made out of petroleum. Recycling those bags into new products will help save resources. This bill seems like a sensible private/public approach.

Comment by Going nuclear Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 10:46 am
Absurd. Especially considering the alternatives (bring your own bags to the store) have been shown to spread disease. Either ban the bags outright or allow them to be used as now (preferably). This goes back to my modest proposal from yesterday, a moratorium on all bills that do not cut spending.

YDD and, I think ROBERT pointed out a couple of points that can be combined. As I was saying yesterday, the state regulatory and spending culture is causing massive budget overruns. We spend more than we take in. These types of initiatives sap the economic strength out of our economy, reduce wealth (and revenues) and along with pension and Medicaid structural issues cause us to lack focus in government spending. Priorities, folks.

ROBERT (I think it was) pointed out a brilliant observation, what percentage of wealth is the right amount to spend? At the Federal level, the number seems to be no higher than 20%. There is probably a similar number at the State level. Set this number and no more, and beat spending into the revenue stream, using priorities.

Right now, there is no top limit, not even as a goal, for how much Illinois should spend. This allows our legislators to ignore priorities, and fund every good-intention, or suck up to their cronies.

Comment by Cincinnatus Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 10:49 am
everybody calm down and do your personal bit…bring a bag to the store the next time you go and avoid taking a bag from the store. if you use something to avoid buying something else, whether a bag or clothes, we know we can cut down on the problem of too much stuff, in the landfill or in our own closets. Earth Day is not about another study, it’s about very personal action.

Comment by amalia Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 10:50 am
@ Cincinnatus, do you wash your clothes? bags can be washed too.

Comment by amalia Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 10:51 am
Cincy, if you don’t wash your boxers you’ll spread disease, too. Do a wash, already!

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 10:53 am
I only cite studies in done by the University of Arizona. Bottom line is most, approaching all, people will not wash the reusable bag and will be exposed to contamination. Furthermore, we also should weigh the costs in energy to wash the bags versus the costs of the bag.

Comment by Cincinnatus Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 11:00 am
–Bottom line is most, approaching all, people will not wash the reusable bag and will be exposed to contamination. –

Typical Nanny State Liberal, protecting the Great Unwashed from themselves.

Dude, you can’t be serious.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 11:04 am
Okay, I’ll buy your premise. Are you willing to indemnify ALL retailers and food outlets from harm associated with any contaminated reusable bags?

Comment by Cincinnatus Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 11:19 am
If Chicago passes a plastic bag ban (or 5-cent tax, which in places like Washington DC have led to immediate, vast reductions of plastic bags in municipal landfills), surrounding suburbs will follow suit. Most of the suburbs in Lake and Cook Counties are reluctant to act before Chicago because they do not want to disadvantage local retailers.

That said, Evanston may act before the city does.

Chicago has expanding the Blue Cart recycling program and conversion of garbage pickup to a grid system to contend with before it deals with other solid waste management issues, so this step likely would not come to pass before 2014. That said, the Emanuel administration does not tip its hand much when it comes to major changes in policy, and perhaps IRMA is being cautiously proactive with that in mind.

Comment by Boone Logan Square Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 11:23 am
–Are you willing to indemnify ALL retailers and food outlets from harm associated with any contaminated reusable bags?–

Huh? If you bring in your own bag, why would any retailer be liable for it? That doesn’t make sense.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 11:30 am
Funny, isn’t it?, that disincentives on plastic bag usage aren’t being considered. At all.

Why, we certainly wouldn’t want consumers to have to forego free bags and P-A-Y a small charge for the convenience, now, would we? Or (horrors!) T-A-X them to cover their costs of disposal. Or (gasp!) B-A-N the confounded things altogether. Or (silly!) require that they B-I-O-D-E-G-R-A-D-E.

Me, well, I finally got into the habit of taking along cloth bags when I go shopping. It’s easy, once you set your mind to it. (Hey, people, c’mon. We’re barely past Earth Day, after all.)

It’s said that there are two sets of explanations for any given issue. There are stated reasons. And then there are the real reasons.

It seems to me that the real reason for this legislation is to embed and enshrine plastic bag usage.

Ridiculous. Disgusting.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 11:33 am
Per Wikipedia, the UofA study was paid for by the American Chemistry Council, and “is an industry trade association for American chemical companies” (i.e. plastic bag makers).

Also per wikipedia,
“A Consumer Reports article criticized the 2010 study, calling into question the small sample size of bags examined in the study and the questionable danger of the type and amount of bacteria found. Michael Hansen, senior staff scientist at Consumers Union, stated “A person eating an average bag of salad greens gets more exposure to these bacteria than if they had licked the insides of the dirtiest bag from this study.”

Comment by M O'Malley Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 11:39 am
There are serious environmental problems like climate change that are being ignored. This ain’t one of them. Environmentalists like everyone else need to prioritize their efforts.

Comment by wishbone Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 11:54 am
What’s wrong with good old brown paper bags? Companies grow and harvest trees here in the US and Canada specifically for making them. Plus you can put a lot more in a paper bag; I cringe at the waste I see at Walmart of only two or three items per plastic bag. I would be in favor of banning plastic bags at retail stores with the possible exception of clothing / tailor / dry cleaning. All plastic bags do is cause more oil to be imported and make an eyesore along the highways …

Comment by Retired Non-Union Guy Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 11:59 am
I’m really tired of hearing this claptrap of “Nanny State”. When there are mega-international corporations abusing our health and welfare for profit w/ no method for us to discover what’s happening I want my government to regulate whether it’s The Jungle or salmonella, or High Fructose Corn Syrup, or plastic bags. Turning our welfare over to industry to avoid the “nanny state” is like turning regulation of fire arms over to the NRA…oh, wait, we already have done that!

Comment by D.P. Gumby Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 12:07 pm
Just recycle the darn plastic bags people. It’s not hard. Take a big bag. Stick all the little plastic bags in it. When full. take to store for recycling. I do it all the time. I still get the convenience of plastic bags but know that I’m minimizing their footprint by recycling them.

And we need a law for this why???

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 12:12 pm
==And we need a law for this why???==

According to U.S. EPA, the recycling rate for plastic films(plastic bags, sacks & wraps)in 2009 was 6.1 percent. And less than 10 percent of the total plastic waste stream generated in this country is recovered for recycling. I’d say there is plenty of room for improvement.

==There are serious environmental problems like climate change that are being ignored. This ain’t one of them.==

Actually recycling materials reduces greenhouse gas emissions. U.S. EPA estimates that current national recycling efforts, 32 percent recycling, yield annual greenhouse gas emission reductions of almost 5.0 million metric tons, compared to landfilling/combusting the same material.

Comment by Going nuclear Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 1:07 pm
Just ban the plastic bags. What’s so hard about that?

Comment by Just a Citizen Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 1:12 pm
The IMA and plastic bag manufacturers also support this bill. It creates one statewide approach rather than seeing different regulations, bans, and taxes in different communities.

Comment by 1776 Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 2:08 pm
I want bags made of hemp.

Comment by Kasich Walker, Jr. Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 2:25 pm
I want bags of hemp too, we should — what? Oh. Nevermind.

Comment by TwoFeetThick Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 3:21 pm
What does IRMA do to stop the patchwork of local option sales taxes?

Comment by Option Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 3:36 pm
What did we do before plastic and paper bags? People brought their own bags to the store or used boxes the store had on hand after filling shelves. Pstic bags should just be banned period.

Comment by John Parnell Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 3:48 pm
Perhaps banning the sale of anything needing a bag would be the GA’s next logical step…

Comment by MarkT Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 4:12 pm
Doesn’t the Trib come in a plastic bag on rainy and snowy days?

Comment by zatoichi Tuesday, Apr 24, 12 @ 10:20 pm
==Actually recycling materials reduces greenhouse gas emissions.==
Not for plastic. It actually uses more fossil fuels/energy to recycle plastic than to make new plastic.

Comment by Gordie Wednesday, Apr 25, 12 @ 1:29 pm