NAGS HEAD
Along Hatteras Island, majestic dunes shield the road from the ocean. Sea grasses wave in the constant breeze. Seabirds cruise overhead.
And perched on the grasses or wafting across the dunes, inevitably, are plastic grocery bags.
Up and down the Outer Banks, whether they're in bushes at national monuments or floating on glittering waterways, the "flimsy bag that we all use" - an estimated 2.5 million a year on the Outer Banks - mar the environment, state Sen. Marc Basnight, a Manteo Democrat and Senate leader, told a gathering of local officials Friday.
The man with the biggest political muscle in the state called the hasty meeting at Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe, his family's Nags Head restaurant, to discuss proposed local legislation that would charge between 10 cents and 25 cents for each bag, paper or plastic, as a way to discourage their use.
The rule would not apply to thinner plastic bags like those used to wrap produce, or the large, thick plastic bags used for bulky or heavier items bought in hardware or department stores.
At the same time, reusable bags - perhaps decorated with promotions of the Outer Banks or the business - would be offered for 50 cents to a dollar.
"We're telling the world we want to lead," the senator said. "We want to do it differently."
Money collected for the bags would be put in a scholarship fund for environmental studies.
Basnight said he would present the bill to the General Assembly as local legislation, which requires approval in both chambers, but does not have to be signed by the governor. Local bills in North Carolina are more likely to pass, he said, because they have the support of the communities affected.
"A statewide bill like this would go down in flames," Basnight told the roomful of elected officials from Currrituck, Hyde and Dare counties. "They could try to kill this. They will not like this," Basnight said of his legislative colleagues.
An N.C. Senate bill introduced in March by state Sen. Josh Stein, D-Wake, would ban plastic bags at major retail outlets, except for those used for meats, produce and fish.
Schorr Johnson, Basnight's spokesman, said Basnight supports Stein's effort, but the bill has not moved out of committee.
The elected leaders who spoke welcomed the proposal, especially if it was expanded to include the mainland areas.
Reducing the use of plastic bags is not a new concept, but one that draws opposition from bag manufacturers and some businesses. That hasn't happened yet with Basnight's proposal. Virginia Rep. Jim Moran, D-Alexandria, introduced The Plastic Bag Reduction Act in April, which would place a 5 cent fee on single use bags.
"I think the idea has merit," said Renee Cahoon, Nags Head's mayor and owner of Cahoon's grocery. "We've all seen them blowing around. We all hate them."
Many visitors, especially from overseas, she said, already bring their own bags and are used to recycling. And the business community might grumble, but they'd come around.
"If you give people a better choice," Cahoon said, "most of the time they'll take it."
Pilot news research Jakon Hays contributed to this report.
Catherine Kozak, (252) 441-1711, cate.kozak@pilotonline.com
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Who's listening to Who?
Ok, elected officials of Dare, Hyde & Currituck Counties..."Who you going to listen to, Senator Basnight or the people who voted you into office..."
Well, that's a stupid question isn't it?
I agree that we can do without plastic bags; but don't tax poor people because Food Lions and Harris Teeters want to save money by putting them on the counters. Require the capitalist pigs to use paper bags and let them pay for them. With Basnight's almighty influence, he should have no problem getting a paper bag "idea" through the legislature. Then, maybe he won't have time to help rich folks put groins all over our beaches.
Paying for plastic
You can't win in Dare County. I USE CLOTH TOTES for my groceries BUT I do forget sometimes. Charging for plastic bags is just one more way to drain money out of our already shrinking incomes. When will it end? Dare County has one of the highest rates of recycling in the state already and YET we do not have curbside recycling (UNLESS you pay for the Private service that is contracted for the work and in the few areas that offer it) while the taxpayers are still paying SANITATION taxes. Why doesn't Dare County and the municipalities offer curbside recycling?? I was under the impression that is was to become mandatory back in 2000 after we all had to purchase the EXPENSIVE trash (PLASTIC) bins. And why can't they pick up yard waste? This would eliminate people burning it and risking fires going out of control. And Ms Cahoon lost my respect when her answer to me regarding the lack of Dare County affordable housing for its workers was to transport more workers from outlying counties. Or perhaps Mexico?? or Eastern Europe?? I also live in an 1100 square foot house and drive a small compact car. I don't drive huge SUVs and build McMansions all over the beachfront with yards that are nothi
Dime Bags
So they want to charge you 10 cents per plastic bag....can we collect them and receive 10 cents per bag from the merchant? You know....like we used to get a deposit on soda bottles? huhhhh? Then put me in the "I'm for it" column.
Double Tax?
Charging 10 cents per bag “as a way to discourage their use.” This is reminiscent of how congress was going to “discourage unneeded travel” last year by increasing the federal gasoline tax by 200% per gallon. Well, at least it sounded good until folks realized that there were road projects in need of extra money. Look, if people want the convenience of plastic over paper when they have 5 or 6 bags worth of groceries, then they’re easily going to pay the extra “fee”. The costs of the bags are already included in the price of the food so it would be just like paying 2 cent extra for a can of soup when 5 cans are put in that single plastic bag. The cost for those 5 cans is already taxed, so in essence, consumers will be taxed AGAIN for that same bag. This is an idea with good intentions, but the wrong execution. If Sen. Marc Basnight really wants to make a difference, then the legislation would essentially ban plastic bags, but then again, why ban it when you can make money from it…
It use to be...
"Paper or plastic" then it was, smile, "plastic or paper" and then nothing. They just bag everything in plastic! Don't even ask, how rude is that! The landfills have plastic still in tact after 24 yrs! Sneakers, tires, shower curtains, bags. I could go on and on but who cares? Recycle bags re cute! from all over, thank you very much! :)
New meaning
How interesting this would make it. You could get a dime bag at your local grocer.
But seriously, we already pay the costs for these bags in the price of our groceries. Do you really think the store doesn't pass along that cost to us consumers? Charging people extra for bags they already pay for won't stop the pollution problem - as long as the bags exist, you will see them used. Stores that really want to take the lead would use only paper bags or reusable sacks, even though they cost more, as with the plastic, the cost can be absorbed into the pricing scheme.
where is the money going
Maybe it is to pay for the new PIER next door to Ms. Cahoon's STORE??? Does this sound like a rotten egg to anybody but me???
Where does it end?
Great, now one guy wants to charge .10 per bag, another wants to charge .10 per can, I'm sure the .10 per bottle suggestion is just around the corner and before you know it, every last container known to mankind will carry a .10 fee. Personally, I've had enough! I'm taxed to the teeth, getting next to nothing in return, and I want it to stop! If you want to do something about plastic bags and think money is the solution, please use yours to solve the problem and leave mine alone. I'VE HAD ENOUGH!
MORE MONEY FOR THE GROCERY STORES?
Wonder how much grocery stores spend on plastic and paper bags? If they eliminate them...or charge for them...how much money will drop to their bottom line? Maybe they'll lower grocery prices? Yeah, right.
Sooooooo
what if everyone just paid the 10 cents or whatever amount?...the same amount of plastic bags would be used. There would be no reduction in their use. How will that keep plastic out of the environment? B.S. reason, the real reason is THE MONEY not the litter.
Funny how the OBX for the most part of the year is tourists; I am SURE they will know to carry with them a bunch of re-useable sacks....political dopes. I thought NC had better sense. And government has the nerve to accuse corporate america of being greedy.
Ok Ms. Kozak & VP Staff..
I, mikep65119, do hereby disagree with pending bill to collect revenue on plastic bags by said officials to fund an environmental study. My reasons to disagree are that the Virginia Pilot and the "journalist" who wrote this article did not report where this "money" is to be conducted/conveyed to, as well as the group that would control the money appropriated from citizens. Who gets the money?
Who profits from holding the money collected?
Where is the environmental study to be conducted?
Who and what is the name of the institution conducting the study?
What is the affiliation of stated politicians with respect to the educational/scientific group that would conduct stated "study"! Elected officials serve the "People"! They should not be allowed to create a law or tax an item whereby money goes into an unknown entity/study/or group!
Is this better than the first comment of mine that is always "awaiting staff approval"?
"I have never seen the tree
"I have never seen the tree huggers out there picking up trash that washes up on the shore unless they're doing it for media attention."
I have lived right at the beach the majority of my life. The plastic bags are a problem. This is smart.
I was curious though as to how you know if they are tree huggers? Do they wear name tags? I drive on the beach and have a photo of me hugging a tree.
Funny.
The facts about plastic bags
The EPA was quoted in an interview saying…”consumers shouldn't stress too much, as long as they're recycling or reusing store bags, said Chris Newman, an environmental scientist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/easy/1528425,HOF-News-EasyBeingGreen16.article
The Australian government retracted its quote that 100,000 marine animals are killed by plastic bags each year!
http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/publications/waste/plastic-bags/analysis.html
For facts and links to the studies about plastic bags and the environment that started it all, as well as environmental shopping strategies and a survey of plastic bag knowledge...please visit
www.thetruthaboutplasticbags.com/facts.html
Watch a plastic recycling emercial at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSHBJfidJoA
Stores should stop using plastic bags
If the stores would stick to paper bags or sell reusable cloth bags and give discounts for people that do use them, the problem would be eliminated. Instead of putting a tax on plastic bags, the state should just pass a law outlawing their use in the first place. The biggest problems on the beaches my wife and I see are cigarette butts, plastic drink containers of all sorts and yes, plastic bags. When we go to the beach and pick up trash, we'll sometimes use them when our larger bags over flow. If we just eliminated all plastic bags in the first place, there wouldn't be that problem at least.
Governments--federal, state, and local want to tax everything
Income tax, business tax, property tax, sales tax, food tax, fuels and energy taxes, license fees (taxes) on vehicles and boats (why should anybody have to pay an additional fee to pay their fee to license their vehicle?), hotel tax, telephone tax, rental car tax, airline ticket tax, capital gains and interest income taxes (a double tax on income already taxed), liquor tax, tobacco tax, litter taxes, tire tax, engine oil tax, cable television tax, satellite television tax, pager and beeper tax, (and a host of other "communications" taxes too numerous to list) death taxes, etc. The insatiable desire of governments to tax EVERYTHING, often couched in do-good terms, has to STOP.
Collect good looking bags!
I look for recycle bags when I travel and use them here for shopping! Some great stuff everywhere and no 10 cent fee! Reminds you to shop wisely and not contribute to waste management woes.
deposit refunds work
Up in some northern states (like Michigan), they charge a deposit on aluminum cans, and you get a dime back for every one you return. So a 12-pack is worth $1.20, and people are much less likely to just toss aluminum cans. Here in VA, there's no such incentive, and cans are littered everywhere. I recently took some trash bags with me on a bike ride, and my group pulled SIX hefty bags of cans out of the woods. There were more cans, but we ran out of bags. I've often wondered why VA doesn't pass such a deposit/refund law.
And now I wonder, would such a proposal work for plastic bags? If people gripe about paying $0.10 per bag, make it refundable if they return the bags. The local Kroger has a bag recycling can that I use, and I don't get a per-bag refund. Maybe if that was an option, more people would be likely to bring the bags back in for recycling.
Irrelevent
Plastic accounts for 90% of the trash in the world’s oceans. How much this is from plastic bags is not as important as just how much non-biodegradable plastic is polluting the Earth in general.
Which is totally irrelevant to the mis-use of the tax to force a political agenda. If they want to place controls on plastic bags, they need to pass a law that does that and face the challenges in court.
There are two large masses of ever-accumulating trash
in the Pacific Ocean. One of them is about twice the size of Texas. Known as the Western and Eastern Pacific Garbage Patches, they are composed primarily of plastic. Both pose numerous hazards to marine life, fishing and tourism. Plastic accounts for 90% of the trash in the world’s oceans. How much this is from plastic bags is not as important as just how much non-biodegradable plastic is polluting the Earth in general. Isn’t it time to stop this madness? If charge a few cents per bag will reduce the amount of plastic garbage we generate in our throw-away society, then I’m all for it. Charging for paper bags makes sense too, since only a small percentage get recycled. Most end up in landfills where they take forever to break down.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch#Sources_of_pollutants
Trash bags
Discourage using bags. How will we get our groceries into the car:piece by piece. Politicians think of stupid stuff. Hire people to empty trash cans and place them along the beac for public use.