Plastic bags – should we use them or not?

HR 2

GUESTS: LOGAN WELDE, PHIL ROSENSKI

Plastic bags – should we use them or not? Plastic bag fees and bag bans have been proposed and enacted in many American cities. San Francisco was the first American city to impose a plastic bag ban in 2007. Seattle banned the bags in 2012 and Washington, D.C. was the first municipality to pass a 5-cent bag tax in 2010. Advocates of plastic bag reduction emphasize bags become litter, harm wildlife, and take a long time to breakdown in landfills. Proponents of the continued use of plastic bags are concerned with manufacturing job loss, emphasize the reusable benefits of the bags and allege health issues may occur if one doesn’t wash their reusable bags. Philadelphia plastic bag ban proposals didn’t pass City Council in 2007 and 2009, but new legislation is currently being written.  We’re joined by the author of a future Philadelphia City Council bill, LOGAN WELDE of the Clean Air Council, who will debate the issue with PHIL ROSENSKI, of the American Progressive Bag Alliance.