Environment

Colorado lawmakers do not pass statewide plastic bag ban

by Amy Judd | February 25, 2009 at 02:41 pm

263 views | 7 Recommendations | 6 comments

In what could have been the first statewide ban on plastic bags in the United States, yesterday a state Senate bill was defeated so that shoppers in Colorado will be able to keep using plastic bags.

The people who voted against the bill said that they ban would lead to increased paper bag use, which take more energy to produce and take up more room in the landfills. However, they do not take as long to decompose in the landfill.

Bill sponsor Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, said no other states have passed such bans yet and thinks Colorado lawmakers were wary of being the first. She said many were also contacted by constituents who didn't want to have to give up their bags.

The original bill proposed that stores charge customers 6 cents for every plastic bag they use between now and 2012. But the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee got rid of the fee at the request of Veiga.

Photos

Plastic bags and the Holiday's, a no, no for the Eco system.

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uploaded by Barbara Mathieson

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dgrinbergs

at 16:21 on February 25th, 2009

I contacted my senator to ask that he give this bill serious consideration - and shared some of my images of plastic bag litter around town.

marlonfelipepresotto

at 17:24 on February 25th, 2009

a disgrace to humanity
this wire photo taken by me in Brazil!

marlonfelipepresotto has contributed a photo to this story.

Jarrett Martineau

at 19:46 on February 25th, 2009

This is such a shame. What a missed opportunity to provide some much needed environmental leadership. Of course there were people who "didn't want to have to give up their bags" — but that's precisely the point. It's not about what you the individual consumer wants - it's about what is ultimately best for everyone who has to live on this planet together.

firestarter photography

at 16:40 on February 25th, 2009

firestarter photography has contributed a photo to this story.

kuuva

at 07:08 on February 26th, 2009

in texas the food store chain, HEB, started selling reuseable shopping bags for $0.99. which is a much better idea than using either plastic or paper bags because there is no waste.

http://trailerparkfeminist.blogspot.com/2007/11/heb-reusable-bags.html

i sure many of you have heard about the pacific ocean waste zone. watch this video

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22431379#22431379

as a small and weak counter point, i know many people who use plastic bags to clean up their dog waste, which is an water quality problem.

Noel Jameel Abdullah

at 14:45 on February 28th, 2009

Sad, Millions of Water Fowl in the Mid -Pacific Ocean are dying each year due to our use of Plastics.We really need a paridime shift in our treatment of and thinking towards our home.We only have one Earth to live on.