Lawmakers Considering Bill Banning Plastic Grocery Bags

HARTFORD (AP) — Connecticut is the latest state to consider banning the ubiquitous plastic bags that shoppers use to tote their groceries and other purchases.

A bill before the General Assembly would prohibit retails from using or distributing non-biodegradable plastic bags on or after January 1, 2010. Retailers could face fines ranging from $200 to $1,000.

Proponents of the bill, testifying Monday before the legislature’s Environment Committee, said the flimsy bags get tangled in trees and wind up floating in the state’s rivers and lakes. Also, they claim it is a waste of oil to make something that is often used for just a few minutes.

“We often speak negatively of China and its many pollution problems, but even China has been able to take a firm stand,” said Emily Rintoul of Portland, who testified with her mother and brother. China’s ban on free plastic shopping bags takes effect June 1.

The United States lags behind many other countries in placing limits on plastic bags. Ireland and Germany charge fees for every bag handed out by stores, and several African nations have set thickness requirements that have effectively banned the flimsy thin bags that float in the air.

Last year, San Francisco was the first city in the country to ban petroleum-based plastic bags in grocery stores. New York City last month required stores to collect and recycle bags.

But a plastic bag bill in the Washington legislature recently died. It would have required stores to provide shopping bags made from recycled paper, compostable plastic, canvas, or reusable, thick plastic.

The Connecticut bill is receiving mixed reviews. Stan Sorkin, executive director of the Connecticut Food Association, said his member grocery chains would prefer a plastic bag recycling law. Many supermarkets, he said, already have bins where customers can deposit their own bags.

Those bags are then returned to wholesalers, who sell them to companies that manufacture everything from decking to park benches out of recycled plastic.

“There has been progress made,” said Mr Sorkin, who acknowledged more shoppers need to be educated about recycling efforts. “At this stage, there is a lot more that can be done.”

Martin Mador, of the Sierra Club, said he worries the Connecticut bill will drive people back to using paper bags, which have their own environmental issues. Instead, his organization is recommending the state charge shoppers five cents for every paper or plastic bag they use.

Four cents could be used to pay for recycling programs, while a penny would be returned to the retailer. Also, Mr Mador said the fee would likely discourage shoppers from using the bags, dramatically reducing their numbers.

“Why does this work? Because everybody wins,” Mr Mador said. “Let the public use the plastic bags if they like, but charge them for it ... Use the economic engine to solve the problem for you.”

The bill awaits action by the Environment Committee.