Apr 26, 2007 5:44 pm US/Eastern
Boston City Council Supports Plastic Bag Ban
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
The Boston City Council is lining up support for a proposed ban on plastic bags at supermarkets, pharmacies and other retail stores.
Councilor Robert Consalvo has sponsored the measure, which has already been endorsed by nine of 12 council members.
Consalvo calls the bags an environmental nightmare. He says they often end up as litter and get stuck in trees, blow across sidewalks and end up in the harbor.
"Part of this discussion of convincing the stores and breaking the culture of the plastic bags is also we as a city getting a comprehensive recycling plan in place to address the issue," Consalvo said.
Mayor Thomas Menino would have to sign the measure before it becomes law.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates Americans use 380 billion plastic bags a year. Only 20 percent of paper bags and just 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled.
San Francisco recently outlawed the bags, while many other cities including Phoenix and Portland, Ore., are considering bans.
Industry groups that lobby for supermarkets, pharmacies, and convenience stores oppose the bills. They say many customers recycle the bags by using them as trash bags or to pick up dog litter.
"We're trying to use a hammer to kill a fly," said Christopher Flynn, president of the Massachusetts Food Association, a supermarket group. "You're targeting and making the plastic bags a scapegoat for litter and environmental issues, which is not the ultimate problem. The problem is individuals and their own behavior."
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