The plastic bags ban is a minor annoyance. I solved it by buying 1000 plastic bags from Amazon for $20 as trash bags. The major offense is the 10c per bag fee imposed on ALL retailers; i.e. discretionary shopping included. I want my purchases be nicely wrapped and bagged FREE! Else, I will shut my wallet! I set up this blog to call for civic activism -- that governance is: of the people, by the people and for the people. If the city want us to abide, put it on the ballots, and let us VOTE!
Monday, October 7, 2013
On 10/1/13 Santa Barbara Enacted Plastic Bag Ban. Goleta Will Be Next. Many Cities To Follow
http://www.independent.com/news/2013/oct/01/city-council-enacts-plastic-bag-ban/
According to the article above, on 10/1/13, Santa Barbara enacted plastic bag ban to go into effect in 6 months on big supermarkets and pharmacies. 6 months afterward, it will be applied to small food stores also.
The cost of Environment Impact Report (EIR) of $66,000 was shared by 7 coastal cities in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Besides Santa Barbara are: Carpinteria, Goleta, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura, I think. "To date, the City of Santa Barbara is the first to approve the EIR, but the County of Santa Barbara is currently in the process of drafting a very similar measure, and activists are pushing the City of Goleta to begin the process, as well. The City of Carpinteria passed a much more restrictive measure two years ago but has since suffered legal setbacks in the courts."
The ban and fee are bad for:
- businesses: to bag customers purchases is the least of customer services that retailers should provide, especially when it come to discretionary shopping, which is for fun. If it is no fun anymore, why shop? All stores can close, we can all go home!
- residents: Many of us use plastic bags for trash and pet waste. Without them, we will have to buy the much thicker and bigger trash bags. Why is the later better?
- for environment. Plastic bags are the by-product of natural gas, not oil. And they take little to make. Verses paper bags which come from trees. From logging, debarking, chop & dice, add water to make pulp, squeeze water out and flatten to make paper, the whole process takes much more resources and energy and create more greenhouse gases. Why is paper better?
Read my 8/13 blog: To Read and To Watch, I have a collection of articles and videos.
At this moment, it is only the activists / environmentalists are talking and talking based on myths and misrepresentation. Write to Counties of Ventura & Santa Barbara, and all the cities in these 2 counties. You will be glad that you come to their defense.
Board of Supervisors of Santa Barbara County:
http://www.countyofsb.org/government.aspx?id=624
Board of Supervisors of Ventura County:
http://www.ventura.org/board-of-supervisors
City Council of Santa Barbara:
http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/cityhall/council/default.asp
City Council of Goleta:
http://www.cityofgoleta.org/index.aspx?page=137
City of Oxnard:
http://citycouncil.cityofoxnard.org/3
City of Port Hueneme:
http://www.ci.port-hueneme.ca.us/index.aspx?NID=319
Email the city council: councilwebmail@cityofporthueneme.org
City Council of Ventura:
http://www.cityofventura.net/about/citycouncil
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