Update on Plastic Bags Survey due at meeting

The City of Laredo Environmental Advisory Committee will be meeting this Wednesday, March 6th at 630pm at the Environmental Services Department's conference room located at 619 Reynolds. On the agenda is an update of the ongoing Plastic Bag survey and related ordinance(s). This process started during last Summer and is nearing completion. What the city decides to do with the compiled data, if anything, remains to be seen.

In a related story, the city of Austin's own plastic bag ban went into effect laste Friday. A post on the Dallas Observer blog follows:

Last Friday was the official dooms day for plastic bags in Austin. The City Council passed a measure that banned retail-level, thin, single-use bags more than a year ago, giving shoppers and store owners time to find alternative ways to get their goods home.

An article the Austin American Statesman this morning has interviews will several Austinites, most of whom were being extremely Austin-ish, saying they were willing to take one for the team if it means less pollution, although some said it's an infringement on their basic rights.

The problem is that plastic bags don't decompose in landfills and muck up the environments for all kinds of animals, mammals, reptiles, feathered friends and so on. Financially, the cost to clean up plastic bags that litter everything everywhere is a huge budget drain. A WSJ.com article reported that it cost San Francisco $8.5 million a year to manage the burden of plastic bags.
While private businesses don't like to be told how to run their businesses, the counter argument is that these lightweight aerodynamic vessels have a broader impact on cities the world.