Tag Archives: Plastic bag

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Birthright, birthers, citizenship, economy, and austerity …

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a repost

just another continued rant on citizenship …  2013 …

The sole mission of this Republican Party of No – is to turn back the clock … It is beyond offensive and will affect all our family’s past, present, and future.

This is yet another necessary and assertive commentary on citizenship… 2013..
Amazingly, Republicans thought they could bury the birther issue for good, only to resurface after a couple of Romney flip-flops. Now that he’s back in Congress, numerous Republican members and governors are still insisting that Americans’ concerns don’t matter—that Birtherism is real, the War on Women and their rights are deemed less significant. Republicans in Congress need to prioritize the people’s business; instead, this group seems more focused on hearings that serve no purpose and on revenge politics, dismissing constituents entirely. We must confront the facts as we approach the next elections: Trump was in office for just two years, and the Treasury Department was scrambling to address financial turmoil. It’s outrageous! Not to mention that Trump chose Monica Crowley for Treasury Secretary—a Fox contributor and lobbyist with a track record of plagiarism and no real financial experience. Despite the mess caused by Republicans, our economy is slowly recovering, thanks in large part to President Obama. While progress is happening without austerity measures, Mitch McConnell and his allies continue to filibuster against it. Austerity remains the mantra of the new Republican nationalists. Americans seem oblivious to the reality unfolding before them, but as the truth surfaced at town hall meetings, some finally recognized the detrimental impact of the plans being pushed. The current 115th Congress needs to face scrutiny because their economic strategies will only benefit the top 1-3%. Ignorance is not bliss—it’s a trap. Amidst the clamor of confusing economic narratives, the Republican Party’s behavior is hitting new lows. Birtherism might seem ridiculous, but the ideology fueling it continues to infiltrate conservative discussions and their notion of “Religious Conscience.” It’s time to question whether religion, consciousness, and instinct belong together, especially given the destructive policies coming from the current administration of white nationalists. We must respond—so lace up your marching shoes. The issues affecting women, immigrants, workers, minorities, students, voter rights, and religious freedom are all deeply tied to Republican agendas. The harsh reality is that many states are passing stringent, harmful legislation against the middle and lower classes under the guise of new, bright promises of prosperity. The Ryan agenda, full of promises of prosperity, fell apart almost immediately, revealing that Trump had taken an extreme right turn, full of continued tantrums and chaos. His presidency is still the face of the Republican Party—and racism and birtherism are mere tools for their fearmongering. The Republican Party of the 21st Century is not even close to what our parents had to face; instead, it has become a far more dangerous entity, seemingly trying to take us back to colonial days. The extreme right has swapped places with the short-lived Dixiecrats, perpetuating a divisive ideology that continues to thrive in today’s version of the Southern Strategy. We must recognize the perilous path that conservatives are attempting to lead us down—it has the potential to dismantle our democracy. Moreover, we should not be afraid to call out the absurdity of any pledge, let alone this conservative pledge—especially this “Purity Pledge” from the organization N.O.M. It’s utterly offensive to pledge to harm and exclude others, yet all socially conservative presidential candidates signed this disgraceful document. This pledge boldly demands commitments that are not just archaic but downright harmful, insisting participants never engage in premarital or extramarital affairs, abandon all forms of pornography and gambling, refuse to marry individuals of the same gender, and oppose any government action supporting civil unions for same-sex couples.

It’s time to challenge this narrative—this purity pledge doesn’t represent true American values, and we must demand better.

The sole mission of this Republican Party of No – is to turn back the clock … It is beyond offensive and will affect all our family’s past, present, and future.

All things Washington State, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

THE Plastic Bag Ban STORY … a repost from 2018…. have things changed?

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SeattleWAthumbpix

It is now 2022 and though the effort to deal with plastic is more evident, you can still tell …if you’re the one shopping, you know that plastic bags are NOT gone! They come and go, get replaced by paper for about a month still, and the next thing you know plastic bags are the only option

first posted – Nov.2011

What’s the Problem?

Washingtonians use more than 2 billion single-use plastic bags each year, and Seattle alone uses approximately 292  million plastic bags annually and only 13% are recycled.  Too many plastic bags end up in Puget Sound, where they do not biodegrade.  Plastic bags break down into smaller and smaller pieces that remain hazardous as they are consumed by filter-feeders,  shellfish, fish, turtles, marine mammals,  and birds. PCB levels in Chinook salmon from Puget Sound are 3- to  5-times higher than any other West Coast population.

In 2010, a  beached gray whale was found to have 20 plastic bags in its stomach!

Data source: Keeping Plastics Out of Puget Sound,  Environment Washington Report, November 2011

more and more wildlife are being found filled with plastic!

How would the plastic bag ban work?

By Mike O’Brien

It’s simple – retailers are prohibited from offering plastic carryout bags to customers.  Paper bags may still be provided to customers for a minimum of five cents – stores keep the nickel to help cover the cost of providing bags.  Everyone is encouraged to use reusable bags.

What bags?

  • Banned Bags Include plastic bags provided at the checkout of all retail stores (bags less than 2.25 ml thick and made from nonrenewable sources).
  • Exclusions: bags used by shoppers in a store to package bulk foods, meat, flowers, bakery goods or prescriptions; newspaper, door hanger bags, and dry cleaning bags.

What stores?

  • Where the policy applies: all retail stores including but not limited to grocery stores, corner and convenience stores, pharmacies,  department stores, farmers markets, restaurants, and catering trucks.
  • Where it’s not applicable: for takeout food where there is a public health risk if a bag is not provided.

What about paper?

  • Retailers may provide paper bags made of at least 40% recycled paper for a minimum 5 cent pass-through cost that retailers keep, offsetting the cost of providing bags.
  • Low-income customers who qualify for food assistance programs shall be provided paper bags at no charge.

Joining cities on the West Coast and around the world

Seattle would join cities along the West Coast, hundreds of cities across the country and twenty nations worldwide that have already taken action to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags.

  • San Francisco, CA – Banned plastic bags in 2007.
  • Los Angeles County – Banned Plastic bags, November 2010; includes a 10-cent fee on paper bags.
  • Portland, OR – Banned plastic bags in the summer 2011.
  • Edmonds, WA – Banned Plastic Bags in 2009; the law was implemented in August 2010.
  • Bellingham, WA – Banned plastic bags in 2011, in the model outlined in this document;  legislation to be implemented in summer 2012.
  • Washington, DC – Implemented a 5-cent fee on paper and plastic bags in 2009; reduced disposable bag use by 80% citywide in the first year.

Background -Seattle

   In 2008, the City Council passed an ordinance that would have placed a 20-cent fee on disposable plastic and paper bags at grocery, drug, and convenience stores in an effort to reduce waste.   The ordinance passed the Council in a 6-1 vote and then opposing parties collected enough signatures to refer the ordinance to the ballot, where it was overturned by the voters (53%-47%)  in the  November 2009 primary election.   The American Chemistry Council spent over $1.4 million opposing the law during the ballot measure campaign.

My take ~ As the ban on plastic bags is implemented and or enforced, most checkers are asking if you would like to buy a cotton bag because there was no flimsy plastic available. Now, after finally getting those flimsy bags out of some stores, others such as the Dollar store and Safeway came up with or possibly the plastic industry came up with a heavy-duty plastic supposedly reusable bag. I was at a Safeway and needed another bag. I honestly did not want to spend $5 and while I was looking around, I spotted a heavy-duty plastic Safeway logo on the bag with pretty colors.  I don’t know about you, but this was a disappointing find on so many environmental official statewide ban levels though I admit it can be reused, it is quite large and was only .25, but they tear easily. Not only that, but I bought one to see how it would hold up, and it lasted about 2 hours

… so, the next question for King County, is if they actually have folks checking in on stores selling heavy-duty reusable plastic bags

and the stores say, What plastic bags?   Ugh

.beaseedforchangestickersGREEN

~ my 2cents ...

Has your state implemented a ban or reduction plan for Plastic Bags? 2014

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   It’s now 2019 and bag bans and or plastic bans are being implemented again or changed to reflect upon current issues at hand but still, there’s a big problem knowing exactly how to recycle … straws, tetra paks making sure the stuff you put in the bin are actually clean and dry 

More shopping means more plastic … unless your State is going green

So, if you live in LA remember to BYO .. reusable bag! because plastic is banned and paper bags will cost you. ..  10cents. After seeing the latest move made by Governor Brown who would like to implement the ban quickly, it’s apparent the people of Cali need some recycle classes, better information and some enlightenment.  As ugly, as the reusable bags are to you and the notion that Plastic bags are more convenient is possibly true, but to say that they double as garbage bags is disturbing. The environment needs help which in turn keep us healthy, a lifestyle that younger folks need to take up and a battle that will be ongoing while cities need to provide containers that help consumers sort out their garbage with little or no confusion and keeps the smell to a minimum … thanks

   Poly-bags are made from petroleum, are non-biodegradable and manufacturing paper bags requires large quantities of wood. The problem and question is whether the attempt to clean up our act state by state has a great department where folks are determined to regulate the use of these environmental killers properly so that our next generation has a chance.

Do you know how many states are banning plastic bags ?

The ban or reduction of plastic bags was implemented on July 1 of 2012 in Seattle, WA.

 It’s now 2017 and as spring& summer weather begins, folks start shopping.  I get it, it is not lucrative to ask for reusable bags or to inform the public about the .5 to .10 cent charge for each bag, but given the idea that we all should be concerned about the environment; I do expect a little more effort to push reusable bags.  Some states have implemented their Ban or Reduction plans, but not much information is available about who will or is enforcing the new rules or how they are measuring the reduction rate, if at all.

The struggle to clean up our environment should not be this complicated or hard and hopefully our city councils will keep at it with great zeal as the plastic’s industry has big $$ incentives to stall or stop it …

a repost from 4/2013 and will continue to

~ Nativegrl77