Banding on Plastic Bags

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C omp et itiv e Ent e rp ri se I nst itut e th 1 8 9 9 L St re et , NW • 1 2 F loo r • W a sh ingto n, DC 2 0 03 6 2 0 2 .3 3 1. 10 1 0 • w w w .cei .o rg Advancing Liberty – From the Economy to Ecology November 8, 2011 No. 18 Plastic Bag Bans Are Bad for the Environment By Angela Logomasini* The past several years have seen a groundswell of regulations on plastics, particularly plastic bags and cups and food containers made from polystyrene or Styrofoam. Supporters of these bans mostly claim that such policies promote environmental protection, when in reality they carry considerable environmental tradeoffs and impose needless burdens on consumers and economic growth. In the United States, California has taken the lead in passing anti-plastic policies, encouraging localities and other states to follow suit. This past summer, the California State Senate passed a bill, sponsored by Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), banning foam cups and food containers statewide. This statewide ban failed in the California State Assembly, but localities around the state have already imposed foam packaging bans—including Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Monterey, San Francisco, and more. Plastic grocery bags have been banned in several California cities, including Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Long Beach. California is not alone. Plastic grocery bags are banned in Aspen, Colorado, and the trend is spreading as other cities, including Austin, Boulder, Philadelphia, and Portland, Oregon, consider potential plastic bans. Some cities have opted for a tax on plastic bags, such as Washington, D.C.1 Anti-plastic crusades are ongoing in other nations as well. In September, British Prime Minister David Cameron called on supermarkets to reduce usage of plastic bags—or prepare for national restrictions.2 Public officials in Europe are considering banning plastic bags for the entire European Union. In
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