Group tries to block US city's plastic-bag ban

11 August 2007 00:06  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--A trade group has filed a petition to block an Oakland, California, plastic-bag ban in an attempt to clarify the environmental damage that such a policy could cause, a spokeswoman said on Friday.

The group, the Coalition to Support Plastic Bag Recycling, filed a court petition to block a plastic-bag ban adopted by Oakland, California.

Earlier this year, the city adopted an ordinance that banned the use of non-compostable plastic bags among large retailers, the petition said.

The ban calls for companies to use compostable, bio-degradable or paper bags instead.

Such bags, however, could cause more environmental problems, according to the coalition, made up of recyclers and plastic-bag makers.

The coalition, filed on 3 August a petition in Alameda County Superior Court, asks a judge to block the ordinance until all of the environmental effects of the ban can be considered.

"Local businesses and stakeholders want to thoroughly discuss and review the facts and potential impacts of a plastic-bag ban," according to a statement issued on Friday by Michelle Vega of the public-relations firm Edelman.

Consumers could mistakenly put the compostable bags in bins reserved for bags made of traditional plastics, the petition said.

The compostable bags would then contaminate the recycling stream, the petition said. As a result, the bags could no longer be recycled, causing more plastic to end up in landfills.

Moreover, companies do not produce enough compostable bags to replace the plastic bags used by large retailers, the petition said.

As such, the ordinance encourages the use of paper bags, the petition said. When compared with plastic bags, paper bags cost more to recycle and cause more pollution during production.

By adopting the ban, Oakland has ignored a mandate by the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires cities to consider alternatives or feasible mitigation measures that could lessen the environmental damage caused by policies, according to the petition.

As such, the court should block the ordinance until the city complies with the Environmental Quality Act, the petition said.

By: Al Greenwood
+1 713 525 2653

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