Howard County Plastic Bag Manufacturer: Proposed Bag Fee 'Harmful'
A bag fee won't help the environment, says an employee of Advance Polybag, and it will hurt businesses.
The sales director of a Howard County business recently submitted a letter to MarylandReporter.com decrying the proposed state-wide grocery bag fee.
Bill Ebeck, director of sales for Advance Polybag, Inc., - an Elkridge company that manufactures plastic bags - calls the proposed legislation "harmful and regressive."
The Community Cleanup and Greening Act of 2013 would require certain stores to charge five cents for each disposable carry out bag it gives to a customer.
What do you think? Is the bag tax a harmful, regressive money grab or a step in the right direction when it comes to stewardship?
Proponents say that the fee will encourage the use of reusable bags, keeping the plastic bags out of the waste stream, the water and off the ground.
But Ebeck said the bag fee is not just bad for business, it will “harm consumers, jobs and the environment,” the environment which the legislation is aimed at protecting.
Ebeck argues in his letter that because, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, plastic bags make up less than half a percent of solid waste coming from the United States, a tax aimed at limiting their use would “do little co help the environment.”
He also argues that the use of reusable bags has led to an increase in theft in stores:
The Chamber of Commerce of Victor Valley in California recently advised businesses that thieves often rely on reusable bags to steal merchandise. Out in Seattle, grocery stores have also suffered due to a spike in thefts. One store even blamed the city’s plastic bag ban for thousands of dollars in losses. Closer to home, in Washington, D.C., a Safeway supermarket representative noted that there has been a rise in shoplifting since the bag fee started.
In April of 2011, Rex Varn, the executive vice president of Advance Polybag said the bag legislation would put 140 jobs on the line.
Referring to the Community Cleanup and Greening Act of 2013, he said in an article in PR Newswire: “Instead of a tax, we support promoting bag recycling – an approach that creates jobs and preserves consumer freedom and convenience.”
Read Ebeck's letter in its entirety on MarylandReporter.com
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bill bissenas
6:45 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Another Dem/Lefty scam to gin up more money for bigger government. I recommend this manufacturer get the h3ll out of Maryland.
Maia
9:04 am on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
There are bag fees and bans across the country and globally. Bans reduce bag use by @ 90% almost immediately. I believe it was Ireland that analyzed their bag fee and showed @30-40% drop in bag usage and had to increase their fee to keep the same results/ continue to motivate people to bring their own bags. Fees are pretty new to this region and over the next year local fee programs will be evaluating level of success. The problem with plastic bags is they are polluting our rivers, streams, and oceans and negatively affecting wildlife, habitat, and water quality. To to amazon videos and rent the film Bag It to learn more.
Maia
9:08 am on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Also see the recent Plastic Bag Report by the metro DC Council of Govts to learn the facts and plastic bag fees and bans locally, nationally, and abroad
http://www.mwcog.org/store/item.asp?PUBLICATION_ID=450
Maia
9:13 am on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Mobile link to amazon on demand Bag It rental for $3.99-
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B007JRU9P8/ref=redir_mdp_mobile
Citizen Taxpayer
11:50 am on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
So, if I have to pay for the bag to offset the cost to the "environment" then I'm essentially paying for the right to toss my bag into the river or into the nearest tree. If I'm made to pay for the bag, you can bet I'll be doing just that.
I will shop only in stores that refuse to charge the fee. If I have no choice, then I'll make it my mission to buy a ton of items only to walk away from the counter after it's all rung up and tell them I can't carry it in my hands and won't pay for a bag. When the retailers cry loud enough, maybe the stupid morons in Annapolis will listen.
Maia
4:49 pm on Wednesday, March 13, 2013
If there is a fee then it is required - I think usually for retailers that sell food, sometimes even if they just have candy near the check out counter (like in DC). It is usually only enforced by citizens that report specific stores to the govt. bag fees usually go directly to implementing environmental initiatives in the local area-like stream bank restorations and the like.