City Council poised to vote on plastic bag ban

“Paper or plastic?” is a question that may not be asked by the grocery store clerks of Santa Monica for much longer. After a battle between environmental groups and plastic bag industries like the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the Santa Monica city council will vote on a city-wide plastic bag ban on Oct. 28. Although a statewide ban was rejected by the State Senate at the end of August with a vote of 21-14, numerous cities throughout California such as San Francisco, Malibu and Fairfax have already passed the ban on a local level.“Plastic bags are major pollutants that enter the ocean through storm drains and exacerbate climate change,” Benjamin Kay, honors marine biology teacher, said. “Plastic bags fill up 32 percent of landfills and they never go away. It is just not a sustainable product.”The proposed law, AB 1998, would stop the distribution of single use plastic bags in venues such as liquor stores, pharmacies and grocery stores. The law, drafted by Democratic Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, encourages shoppers to bring their own reusable bags, such as the totes sold at Trader Joe’s, by placing a small fee on single-use paper bags. So far, the law has faced a huge amount of protest.In addition to the campaigns by the ACC and plastic companies to protest the law, there are pro-plastic bag Facebook groups, and a website called savetheplasticbag.com.“Anti-plastic bags activists have spread myths about plastic bags and suppressed information about the environmental impacts of paper and reusable bags,” Stephen L. Joseph, counsel for the website, said. “All we want is for the truth to be told.”Savetheplasticbag.com has links for environmental studies, surveys and alleged myths about the dangers of plastic bags that support their stance on the matter.“Plastic bags are an environmentally responsible choice for consumers. They are fully recyclable and require 70 percent less energy than paper to manufacture and create 50 percent less carbon emissions,” Jennifer Killinger, Senior Director of Sustainability and Public Outreach for the Plastics Division of ACC, said. “We support a reduce, reuse, recycle approach, and it’s never been easier to recycle your plastic bags.”The ACC launched a website called abagslife.com which educates viewers on how to effectively reuse and recycle plastic bags. The website’s homepage flashes phrases like “Give Me a Second Chance!” and “Don’t Treat Me Like Trash!” alongside a plastic bag with a face drawn on it.However, not everyone agrees with their claims.“The ACC argues that banning plastic bags will mean using single-use paper bags, but the simple answer here is reusable, not paper or plastic,” Kay said.City council member Kevin McKeown agrees:“The good news is that many, many people have already begun to bring reusable bags when shopping. We all know it’s the right thing to do, and on Oct 28 we’ll make it law in Santa Monica.”The bill already has the support of governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The question is, will council members agree?“There is an addiction in this country to single-use plastics. They are only used for about an hour but they last in the ocean indefinently, where they have the ability to kill animals such as sea turtles, albatross and dolphins,” co-president of Heal the Bay: Surf Rider Club, senior Zack Gold, said.On Oct. 25, Samo’s Heal the Bay club, Team Marine and Kay’s marine bio students plan to lead a march in favor of the plastic bag ban, which will start at Samo and continue all over Santa Monica. According to Kay, anyone is welcome and encouraged to join their cause.“I think people are starting to understand that we are replacing a wasteful product and conserving resources,” Kay said. “Anytime you do that, you feel good and you feel you are helping the planet.”Olivia LeganStaff Writer