A ban on paper and plastic single-use bags within Austin took place March 1. Retailers in Austin are only able to offer reusable bags made from cloth, durable materials or thicker paper and plastic bags.
Whether this was done in the name of ‘environmentalism’ or ‘sticking-it-to-the-man’ depends on who you ask.
The bag ban is an effort to “Keep Austin Beautiful” by reducing the amount of waste from single-use bags. Austinites previously used 263 million plastic bags every year; there are 380 billion used in the U.S. every year (AustinBagBan.com). Considering that most single-use bags end up in local landfills, stuck in fences and caught in tree limbs, saying ‘no’ to bags sounds pretty enticing. In true Austin nature of “keeping it weird”, Austinites joined a handful of other cities in the country to ban disposable plastic and paper bags at all retailers within city limits.
Don’t worry; shoppers won’t need to grow extra hands to carry all of their purchases home. There are now many options other than single-use bags. To encourage use, reusable bags are being made more fashionable by manufacturers by offering a variety of prints and colors. Reusable bags aren’t just eco-friendly either; some bags promote businesses and there is a growing trend of bags that support causes such as breast cancer and HIV/AIDS. Many reusable bags are inexpensive, found for as little as 25 cents, and other bags are even given away for free.
Not everyone is excited about this new ordinance. Even though he is not Austin’s representative, Rep. Drew Springer, R-TX, has proposed the Shopping Bag Freedom Act in order to reverse the bag ban. Springer believes the ban on single-use bags is more about control than the city saving money and protecting the environment. HE and wants consumers to make their own decisions.
We have all witnessed those unsightly plastic bags hanging around town in tree limbs and blowing down city streets like tumble-weeds. Could this be a sign to follow Austin’s lead and hop on the bag ban bandwagon in Houston… or would that be too weird? Or are there other ways of ensuring environmental protection from these plastic culprits?