How is the plastic bag ban going? Do you miss the plastic bags? (Seattle: to buy, camping)

[kanhawk]

I think it's been in effect for a few months now. Olympia is considering a ban. Do you recommend a ban based on Seattle's experience?

[Inkpoe]

You should expand the list to include Edmonds, Bellingham and Mukilteo. Seattle was the 4th city in WA to ban plastic bags.

[Brookdale46]

I for one am very pleased with the new state of affairs. There has been very little that I at least have seen in the media about longterm negative responses to the ban. It may in the end have been much ado about nothing. Like other seemingly controversial issues, such as the tolls on 520, people over time adjust after some early-on bitching. Of course just as there a few who drive around the lake or take I-90 to save on tolls (and who end up spending much more time on the roads, use more gasoline and put more wear and tear on their vehicles), so too there may be some who just need those plastic bags and leave the city to shop. I am proud of Seattle for having done something important for the environment while not really impacting the way we shop. I'd support state-wide implementation in the future.

[eskercurve]

Here in Mukilteo the garbage collectors turn a blind eye to the brown paper bags in the garbage as opposed to the plastic ones. They like it because it doesn't clog the compactors as much.

I've created some rope from the used plastic bags the stores were going to toss. I have enough rope now to basically have as backup line when I go camping.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

I wish we could get a bag ban here. People act like it's the worst thing in the world, even though our streams look like this:

[xcalgal]

I know this is an old post but I thought that I would comment since we have recently had a ban on plastic bags here on Bainbridge Island.

The good: I like the idea of reusing bags

The bad: I forget bags occasionally and now I have to pay for plastic. I used my bags always twice (once for groceries and once for doggie bags or trash liners). Now I have to buy my doggie bags for a one time use (not very green). Also, I have heard that people have died (albiet not many) from bacteria of meats that have leaked onto the bags which then contaminated vegetables at a later date. (so maybe we need to label our bags for meats and vegetables???)

[Beenhere4ever]

Pay for plastic? When I did my last vacation in Bellingham, I had repeated conversations, and my understanding was you could buy PAPER, that plastic just wasn't going to be there.

[xcalgal]

Originally Posted by Beenhere4ever

Pay for plastic? When I did my last vacation in Bellingham, I had repeated conversations, and my understanding was you could buy PAPER, that plastic just wasn't going to be there.

I have to pay for plastic doggy bags which now are a once used bag as opposed to twice used when I got them in the store for free and then used them for my doggy or trash bin linings.

[Sadie181]

It beeen almost 2 months of no plastic here in Issaquah. I am getting used to it but still have to run back out to the car to get bags. I did just invest in some nice reusable ones and bought ten of them so I always have them on me!

[Gentoo]

I'm sure Seattle deals with it just fine. Probably less of them drifting around. While I'm not in Seattle, we have plastic bag bans in San Francisco as well as Alameda County (where Berkeley and Oakland are). You pay like 25 cents for a bag in SF. Handsupthumbsdown your picture is a great example of why this is needed. Is it an inconvenience at times? Sure but there's more going on in this world besides my convenience.