Washington Votes

2008 House Bill 2424 (Regarding grocery checkout bags)

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  • Introduced by Rep. Maralyn Chase, (D-Shoreline) on January 14, 2008, requiring grocery stores to provide compostable, recyclable or reusable bags. A grocery store can be reimbursed for their cost of compliance not to exceed the taxable amount collected under this section.
    • Referred to the House Select Committee on Environmental Health on January 14, 2008.

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Comments

Introduced by Rep. Maralyn Chase, (D-Shoreline) on January 14, 2008. New Comment

1) dog pooh [by Anonymous Citizen on June 19, 2008]
The problem is once you reuse the plastoc bag and toss the dog pooh...where do you think it goes? Does it magically disappear once you've tossed it? NO!

Take your dog pooh in a plastic bag multiple that by how many times you dog has to pooh. Now multiply that by everyone in the nation with a dog that poohs and you begin to see the extent of the problem.


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2) Biodegradable plastic bags [by Anonymous Citizen on June 18, 2008]
If we don't use plastic bags, how do we throw away garbage at home? What should we use to line our garbage cans?
Why can't we use those biodegradable plastic bags? I just check online. 500 biodegradable plastic grocery bags cost only $78.65. So that's like $0.16 each. If the supermarkets charges us for plastic bags, those bags better be biodegradable. Otherwise, why would I pay for something that's bad for our environment?
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3) hogman [by Anonymous Citizen on May 11, 2008]
I see and hear all sorts of figures thrown around.Does anyone know the volume of 1 million plastic plastic grocery bags and the amount of oil required to produce this many ?
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4) Bad Science = Bad Law [by Anonymous Citizen on February 14, 2008]
Possible disposal scenarios:
1. Landfill: Paper bags do not biodegrade in a sanitary landfill any more than plastic bags do. NOTHING biodegrades in a modern landfill. But the paper bags take 50x more volume, and no, there is nothing "toxic" about LDPE (plastic bag material).
2. Recycle: Paper bags require something like 2x the energy and 10x the water to recycle than plastic bags. There is also more effluent.
3. Reuse: Plastic bags can be reused in many ways, as pointed out in other responses. Paper bags have almost no reuse potential.
4. Incineration: Neither should be burned at home. In an energy-generating trash incineration facility, a given weight of LDPE will produce over 100X as much energy as the same weight of kraft paper.
5. Littering: If you plan to toss your grocery bag out the car window, then and only then is paper the preferred environmental choice.

This is a stupid bill based on eco-religion rather than scientific fact. Sort of like carbon credits.
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5) Really? [by Anonymous Citizen on March 25, 2008]
Really? "Paper bags have almost no reuse potential"? Seriously? Where are you living and how old are you? If you were alive prior to the early 1990's before plastic bags were a problem. Paper bags were reused many times, and continue to do so.
Do they not have curbside recycling where you live? Do you not see paper bags being used every week to recycle cans and bottles?
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6) Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle [by Anonymous Citizen on February 11, 2008]
Not BAN. What is wrong with you people? I enjoy my plastic bags. I bring them home and use them as trash bags and to pick up the dog pooh. If you crazy nimrods get your way, I'll be forced to go buy plastic bags for my trash and dog pooh. And if you choose not to reuse the bags, how about recycling them, did you ever think about that?
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7) Educate and give choice [by Anonymous Citizen on February 13, 2008]
That is what this should be about. I also reuse my plastic bags for things like diapers and for trash can liners. We need to be rational here. Ask grocery stores to post educational material about it all. But forcing people only angers them and often triggers a 'rebel' reaction and they will abuse the bags more.
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8) No Plastic bags [by Gaylen Willett on February 3, 2008]
Thank you for introducing this. If more people would recycle their bags, we would not have this problem on such a large scale. Paper bags do get soggy and break, but they do not clutter our landfills, they break down. I would like to see more focus on recycling plastic bags.
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9) ??? [by Anonymous Citizen on February 11, 2008]
paper bags clutter land fills more than plastic bags do ... have you not noticed the volume of the bags?
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10) The Real Cost of Plastic Bags [by lauxdw on January 31, 2008]
Hurrah! I use reusable grocery bags every time I shop. This bill is about being responsible. We should be using neither paper NOR plastic bags.

An estimated 500 billion to one trillion plastic bags are consumed world-wide every year.
In the U.S. alone, an estimated 12,000,000 barrels of oil are required to produce the 100 billion consumed annually.

Only 1 to 3% of plastic bags end up getting recycled. If it costs $4,000 to process and recycle 1 ton of plastic bags, which can then be sold on the commodities market for $32, it isn’t going to happen.

The production of plastic bags requires petroleum and often natural gas, both non-renewable resources that increase our dependency on foreign suppliers.

The annual cost to US retailers alone is estimated at $4 billion. Who do you think pays those costs? We all do, in the form of higher prices.

In a landfill, plastic bags take up to 1,000 years to degrade. Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photo-degrade—breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits polluting our soil, river, lakes and oceans.
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11) Stay out of my grocery shopping [by Anonymous Citizen on January 23, 2008]
If I want to use plastic, paper or cloth it should be my own choice not the choice of the government. I want reserve my right to choose not to give it up to the like of Christine or Hillary
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12) Reusable Bab credit [by Lorie on January 22, 2008]
I think we should turn all our income over to the Gov to handle and make it easy for them.Then they wont have to pass more Bills to get out money.
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13) Why Cloth? [by grandkids5 on January 22, 2008]
It is not the plastic bags that are filling our landfills, it is the plastic containers that the plastic bags are filled with.
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14) No paper, no plastic [by Legashira on January 19, 2008]
Shoppers should buy & use their own cloth bags. I always insist on getting my 5-cent or 10-cent credit for bringing my own bag.

If shoppers were charged $.25 for each bag, I'll bet there will be fewer of either plastic or paper bags.
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15) RE: Paper or plastic [by Anonymous Citizen on January 19, 2008]
When my groceries fall through my wet paper bags then can I use plastic?
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16) paper or plastic [by Anonymous Citizen on January 22, 2008]
What scares me is how this effect the liberal comprehensive sex education .

The new condoms alternative is going a bit too far in my opinion .


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