Boulder Colorado Wants To Ban Plastic Bags, Is This A Great Idea?

If it were up to those at a public feedback
meeting Monday on a proposed ban or fee on disposable plastic and paper
bags in Boulder, the city would start by charging fees and then move to a
total ban.

Students from Fairview High School's Net Zero Club
have pushed for a ban on plastic grocery bags, and the city has taken up
the question as part of its Zero Waste Master Plan.

"Sometimes the best way to educate people is to create a change," said Fairview junior Lizzy Dresselhaus.

Monday's
meeting was an opportunity for the public to provide feedback to city
staff members. The city's Environmental Advisory Board will take up the
issue Thursday, using information from city staff members and public
feedback to make a recommendation to the City Council.

City staff
members are recommending that Boulder start with fees on plastic and
paper checkout bags at the city's 45 grocery stores and convenience
stores. Those stores account for 60 to 80 percent of the city's plastic
bags, officials said, with the remaining percentage coming from retail
stores, takeout restaurants and other businesses.

"The No. 1
lesson I learned from other communities was to keep the ordinance very
simple," said Jamie Harkins, Boulder's business sustainability
specialist.

Of the 40-plus people in attendance at Monday's meeting, all but one wanted the city to take action.

But
participants were divided on how that first step should look. About
half want the city to charge a fee to people who use either plastic or
paper bags, while the other half would prefer a ban on plastic bags
combined with a fee for paper bags.

"We shouldn't be giving the
paper bag a free ride in any way," said Eco-Cycle Executive Director
Eric Lombardi. "Paper bags are just as hard on the environment."

Just
three people wanted an outright ban on both to start, though almost all
of those in attendance supported banning both as the ultimate goal
after a transition period.

A concern raised by those who
supported banning plastic bags is that a fee would seem too much like a
tax, while others said a fee might not be much of a disincentive given
Boulder's high income levels. Others wanted to know how revenue from a
fee could be used.

The amount of the fee would have to be set
based on cost recovery, not the amount it would take to make a
difference in people's behavior.

Along with the issue of bans
versus fees, participants talked about which businesses should be
targeted. Most wanted all retailers and restaurants to be included.
People also asked that education and outreach campaigns to reduce the
use of disposable bags be part of the solution.

According to a
Boulder County Waste Composition Study, 781 tons of plastic retail bags
ended up in the county's waste stream in 2010. That represents roughly
120 million plastic bags thrown away countywide.

However, that represents just 0.4 percent of the county's entire waste stream, according to the report.

The
city's project website lists "culture change" as one of the reasons to
reduce plastic bag use. Perhaps more significant, plastic bags
contaminate waste diverted to recycling and composting facilities,
resulting in higher operating costs, city officials said. They also turn
into litter.

The Rocky Mountain Food Industry Association, which
represents the state's grocery stores, opposes bans and fees on
disposable bags.

The Boulder City Council is scheduled to discuss a plastic bag ban or fee at its May 15 meeting.

All of us have heard about the garbage problems and many different solultions

have been tried. Is it time to find a more drastic solution?