Plastics bag ban could hurt US PE/PP producers

02 April 2007 21:53  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--US polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) producers strongly oppose a San Francisco, California, ban of non-biodegradable plastic bags, industry sources said on Monday.

An ordinance by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors would prohibit supermarkets and pharmacies with sales above $2.0m (€1.5m) from using recyclable plastic bags, potentially hurting polyolefins manufacturers supplying plastic bags for retail stores. The mayor of the city said he was favourably disposed toward signing the measure.

“I wish the decision had come at a time when bio-based alternatives were fully developed and could actually help the environment,” a consultant said.

The state of California has been involved in new legal measures to achieve a healthier environment and cleaner air through the incorporation of environmentally-friendly products and the ban of other materials.

Such was the case of California's March 25, 1999 decision to ban methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE).

The American Chemistry Council (ACC), which represents many US plastics manufacturers, also opposes the San Francisco measure.

The ACC said that although it commends the board’s desire to reduce waste sent to landfills, banning the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags at grocery and convenience stores is not the answer since they make up a small fraction (less than 0.5%) of the US municipal solid waste stream.

The ACC added that programmes to recycle plastic bags are steadily increasing throughout California.

“We are deeply concerned that banning plastic bags in grocery stores will severely diminish plastic bag recycling in San Francisco, as it will eliminate many in-store collection programmes,” the ACC said. The association added that this may cause the accidental mixing of biodegradable and recyclable bags, which will contaminate the recovered material.

The ACC said that mandating the use of biodegradable plastics was likely to increase the incidence of litter. Many people mistakenly believe that bags labeled biodegradable or compostable will readily decompose in the natural environment, which will likely increase tolerance for improper waste disposal.

The US supports bioplastics through federal biomass funding activities under the Biomass Initiative and the Federal Farm Bill. Under this initiative, federal agencies are to design a programme to purchase as many bio-based products as practical.

Prices for film-grade US PE were at 61-66 cents/lb ($1,345-1,455/tonne) DEL. Prices for US PP are at 64-70 cents/lb DEL, according to global chemical market service intelligence ICIS pricing.

($1 = €0.75)

By: Luly Stephens
+1 713 525 2653

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