Brownsville bans plastic bags effective Jan 4th, Hey! that's tomorrow

From the Golden Age to the Plastic Age. Ar we devolving?

Recently I wondered aloud (or in print) what ever happened to the City of Laredo's ordinance that was supposed to ban the use of plastic bags by merchants. Well, at least one city in Texas is following up on what it says it's going to do. The city of Brownsville, Texas puts its ban into effect tomorrow. It appears that Brownsville now wants to join McAllen in eating our lunch as well. At least their lunch is in a paper bag now.  A recent Brownsville Herald article on the pending ban even takes a swing at Laredo, stating:

“We talked to the people, we made sure every step of the way that our stakeholders were involved,” City Commisioner Camarillo said when asked why Brownsville succeeded in passing the plastic bag ban when cities like Austin and Laredo have failed. “It took us a year. It was a long process. But this is just a great thing, a beautiful thing for the city, and in time everybody will see that.” Now Austin is seeking Brownsville’s advice to create a similar ban.

Naturally, there's always another side to the story and there's many in Brownsville that oppose the plan. The same article relates some of the most concerning reservations about the new ordinance.

The ordinance is not without its critics. In letters to The Brownsville Herald, some residents have expressed concern that the ban overburdens the community, especially residents who cannot afford to purchase reusable bags, and small businesses, which cannot provide more expensive paper bags for their customers.
“Nearly all retail stores use only plastic bags for customer purchases, because plastic is four times cheaper and much easier to store, work with and carry,” Robert Autrey wrote last February in a letter to The Herald. “This ordinance will be difficult to comply with for large items being purchased, dry cleaners, and small stores.”
Other opponents of the ban believed residents would be unfairly “taxed” if they forgot to bring their own reusable bags. Shoppers who find themselves without a bag at the store can either buy a reusable one from the store or pay a fee of $1 to have their items packed in a plastic bag.