Delaware moves to limit plastic grocery bag use
Monday, August 17th, 2009
By: Tom Byrne
tbyrne@whyy.org
A new Delaware law takes another step in turning the first state greener by cutting back on the use of plastic grocery bags.
Governor Jack Markell signed House Bill 15 into law Monday.
It requires food stores bigger than 7 thousand square feet or with more than three outlets to provide a place, in store, for customers to recycle plastic bags. Those stores must also make reusable bags available for purchase.
Markell calls it "another tool in the toolbox" of bolstering recycling efforts and "to advance where energy and the environment intersect."
The head of Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Collin O’Mara says the law works in two ways. "The first one is environmental impact, which will clean up our streams and waterways, and also just reduce litter on our highways." O'Mara said. "The second one is the economics, and is really helping people save a little money by not using bags. It saves the grocers by not having to buy as many bags. And it increases recycling at the same time."
Democratic State Representative Valerie Longhust of Bear sponsored HB 15, which started as an effort to ban plastic bags altogether two years ago.
"The environmentalists wanted me to ban them outright." said Longhurst. " Then you had the retail people saying we've got to meet in the middle. So, I had to take both people and kind of bring them together and say this is what's best for Delaware at this point. You do have to take small steps before you take that big leap."
That leap has been taken by a number of countries in Europe and some U.S. cities, like San Francisco. Philadelphia voted down a plastic bag ban in June.
Longhurst would still like to see a plastic bag ban, and feels Delaware is headed in that direction. "I see everyday more and more people at the grocery store using canvas bags and I think once we take that leap, people will be more accustom to it and it will fly through a little bit easier." Longhurst said.
Stores subject to the new law have until December of 2010 to fully comply or face fines. The fines will start at 500 dollars for a first offense and go as high as two thousand dollars for three or more offenses.
Kudos to Deleware for taking this important first step to reducing plastic bag waste.
It's important that these bags be recycled because there are just so many of them in circulation. The average bag is used for 12 minutes and then discarded.
We need to be aware of what we are doing to the earth and our environment and when neccessary we need to be able to make big changes. Recycling is one solution and bringing your own reusable bags is another.
I hold this issue close to my heart. As a young girl I saw the plastic bags come into the markets. In fact in 1984 my sister did an experiment at our home to see if these plastic bags were indeed degradable. She pinned one to our outdoor clothes line where it remained in the elements for several years without showing any sign of biodegradability. The only thing we noticed after a year was that the printing had faded, but no other changes.
I began a small scale plastic bag recycling program in my community a couple of years ago. I use these "single use" shopping bags and upcycle them into washable and reusable totes purses and backpacks.
I am now recycling for 16 families and together we have kept over 3500 plastic bags out of our waste stream or worse yet our oceans.
When we all do our small part we really can change the big picture.
Sincerely,
Christi Spangler
Recycle Crafter
http://www.FatBottomBags.com