Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Austin City Council members have recently endorsed a ban on plastic bags across Austin to be considered as an action item for City Council this November. The reason for this ban is because it is estimated that 263 million plastic bags are used by Austin residents every year costing the city $800,000 per year in pollution and liter management (Longoria,2011). I am a concerned citizen of Austin and a frequent shopper around the community, in my opinion, this rationale for banning plastic bags is irresponsible of the city because they aren’t taking into consideration harmful health implications for Austinites. Therefore, a citizen of Austin, I am opposed to the ban on plastic bags. I believe that this should be a concern to other citizens with hopes that they would contact their local City Council member to discuss their opposition to the plastic bag ban. This paper will address the counter argument of this current debate, as well as, discuss issues of why citizens should oppose the ban.
Environmentalist and City Council members who support the plastic bag ban argue that plastic bags are damaging to the environment and is costing tax payers a lot of money to clean up the mess (Longoria, 2011). What they don’t realize is that the alternative to banning the bags is equally damaging and dangerous. These alternatives are utilizing reusable bags which grow harmful bacteria that can create life threatening health conditions, and paper bags, which destroy oxygen producing trees. There has been no scientific or local studies looking at the impact of plastic bags on the environment (Coppola, 2011). It is apparent that the city is more focused on saving money over concern for the health and well being of Austin citizens.
The first reason why plastic bags should not be banned is because utilizing ‘green’ reusable bags have been found to breed bacteria. Research by the Department of Soil, Water, and Environmental Science at the University of Arizona and the Department of Public Health at Loma Linda University, suggest that consumers do not clean their ‘green’ bags This creates opportunities for cross contamination of food and a greater likelihood of food-borne illnesses (Gerba, Williams, and Sinclair, 2010). This same research also found that 97% of people do not regularly clean their reusable bags, if ever. The instructions on the reusable bags state the bags need to be washed on a regular basis however it is often ignored. Of the consumers identified in the Gurba, Williams, and Sinclair study (2010), 75% mix meat and vegetables in the same bag and also use these bags for storing books, snacks, and other personal items after shopping. This type of behavior increases the likelihood of cross contamination. By utilizing plastic bags, consumers don’t have to worry about cross contamination because single use plastic bags rarely breed bacteria. Gurba et. al. (2010) also suggest bacteria from the reusable bags could be one of the primary factors contributing to the 76 million cases of foodborne illnesses every year in the United States. Due to the potential of breeding harmful foodborne bacteria, Austinites are jeopardizing their health and ultimately their lives if plastic bags are removed from stores.
City council members and environmentalist say plastic bags pollute waterways, clog drainage systems, and take up landfill space where they don’t biodegrade and also kills wildlife (Coppola, 2011). However, according to Hilex corporation, a large manufacturer and recycler of plastic bags, states there is no evidence that plastic bags kill wildlife, or are a large source of litter. While there are many people looking at environmental aspects of removing plastic bags, there is no exact percentage of the amount that various types of waste contribute to pollution (Dorigo, 2011). In addition, Austin itself has not done an Environmental Impact Survey to determine how much of an impact removing plastic bags would really have on Austin’s environment. Instead, they are strictly concerned with the amount of money they are saving. Austin seems attracted to focus on the cost of using plastic bags over the true environmental impact. “If you’re trying to collect money from people to fix something, you need an enemy. You need a symbol. The plastic bag has become the symbol. Environmental activists have gone to extreme measures to distort facts and create their symbol. It’s a great fundraising tool for them” (Smith, 2010). This statement points out that Austin is not concerned about the well being of their citizens but protecting themselves to save money.
Another reason to not remove plastic bags is because is multiple uses and ability to be recycled. In addition to recycling, plastic bags can be utilized for other purposes such as: picking up pet waste, trash liners, lunch bags, and carrying other items. According to A Bags Life (2011), a public educational campaign that unites organizations around promoting the three R’s – reduce, reuse, and recycle, it has been found that more than 90% of users reuse or recycle their plastic bags. In effect, these are not single use bags as claimed by environmentalists. The bags have important and valid uses for citizens more than just carrying groceries and also can have an impact on our environment through recycling where the bad can be made into other products.
In conclusion, citizens of Austin should go to their City Council member immediately to ask them not to support the ban on plastic bags because their life depends on it. This paper has identified three reasons not to support the ban which include, reusable bags breed bacteria, the environmental impact on plastic bags has not been proven, and plastic bags can be reused for many purposes and recycled. As more and more Austinites work to improve their health and well being, what is important here is that the focus isn’t so much on how much we can make a contribution to our environment or lessen the financial burden to the city, but how we can keep ourselves healthy as individuals and live our lives in a stress free and healthy manner. Therefore, it is imperative for Austinites to take action to not support the ban on plastic bags.
References:
Dorigo, E. (2011) Will banning plastic bags help the environment?. Science 2.0, retrieved from http://www.science20.com/enrico_dorigo/will_banning_help_the_environment-75598.
Gurba,C.P., Williams, D., & Sinclair, R.G. (2010). Assessment of the potential for cross contamination of food products by reusable shopping bags, retrieved from http://www.aolnews.com/2010/06/25/study-reusable-bags-green-but-not-clean/
Longoria, B. (2011, July 25). “Austin city council members push plastic bag ban”. Community Impact Newspaper, retrieved from http://impactnews.com/central-austin/293-recent-news/13889-council-members-push-to-ban-plastic-bags-city-wide.
Smith M. (2010) Austin weighs on plastic bag ban, sparks debate. Abc news, retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/austin-weighs-plastic-bag-ban-sparks-debate/story?id=11334974#.TsLsgHOLGjU
Coppola, S. (2011). City council moves ahead on plastic bag ban. Austin American – Statesman. Retrieved from http://www.texasenvironment.org/news_story.cfm?IId=1061
A Bags Life. (2011) Recycle Me. Retrieved from http://abagslife.com/recyle-me.
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