The plan calls for customers to bring their own
reusable bags or shoppers would be charged ten cents for paper bags.
COLUMBIA, MO -- Columbia City Council Members are scheduled to look over a proposal that would ban plastic bags at grocery stores and supermarkets during their Tuesday meeting.
Organizers of the ban said plastic bags are a hazard to our environment.
Columbia may join places like the State of California, Chicago and Eugene, Oregon if council members approve an ordinance that bans supermarkets and other stores that sell non-perishable items from using plastic bags. The plan calls for customers to bring their own reusable bags or shoppers would be charged ten cents for paper bags. Sierra Club member Jan Dye said plastic bags cause litter problems and are a danger to wildlife and livestock.
Dye said, “We need to do something to get them out of the waste stream, out of the landfills and out of the rivers and streams where they are a big problem.”
Mizzou student Paige Dadmun studies environmental science. She said plastic bags cause more harm than paper bags.
Dadmun said, “Plastic is actually better for the environment because it can be reused more. Paper takes more years to break down in landfills.”
Lucky’s Market managers encourage their customers to use reusable bags by giving them a 10-cent reward on their bill or a chance to make a donation to a charity by dropping wooden nickels into a drop box.
Lucky’s Market Manager Don Edwards said, “With paper bags, people like to reuse them better because they are stronger and they are a lot more reusable than plastic bags.”
Shopper Faizal Glenn said the government should not control what bags he uses at a grocery store.
Glenn said, “I don’t like the idea of forcing people to bring their own stuff if they don’t have it.”
Opponents of the ban said they do not want to pay for paper bags or be forced to use reusable bags. Sierra Club members want a nationwide ban on plastic bags and said Columbia is a good place to start in Missouri.
Council members are not expected to make a final decision on the plastic bag ban during Tuesday’s meeting.
Tel:886-2-28941823 Fax:886-2-28941837 E-mail:viya@packsourcing.com
Copyright Notice © 2015 New Insight Publishing Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Powered by Packsourcing