Let’s Talk Plastic Free plastic bags are too expensive

Success in Other Communities around the World

• World Wide Bag Bans:
• 1999 Corsica in large stores – first island
• 2002 Bangladesh all polyethylene bags – first large country
• 2003 Taiwan plastic plates, cups, cutlery
• 2003 Himachal Pradesh India manufacture, sale, and use of all plastic bags
• 2003 South Africa – all think plastic bags, retailers not in compliance fined $13,000US
• 2003 Rwanda – all polythene products
• 2004 Papa New Guinea all plastic bags, retailers not in compliance face jail time
• 2005 Delhi, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Goa, Keral and Karmatak States of India
• 2006 Tanzania all plastic bags
• 2007 Taiwan all plastic bags
• 2007 Kenya and Uganda all plastic bags
• 2008 China all plastic bags – production, sale and use of bags under .025mm thick
• 2008 Buenos Aires all plastic bags, must be biodegradable by 2010
• 2009 South Australia all plastic bags
• 2009 Bolivia all plastic bags
• 2010 France all non biodegradable bags at all shops
• 2010 Sioux Lookout, Ontario all plastic bags
• 2010 Wood Buffalo, Alberta all single use bags
• 2010 Manitoba all single use bags
• 2010 Thompson Canada plastic bags
• 2011 Italy all non biodegradable bags at all shops
• 2011 Northern Territory Australia all plastic bags
• 2011 New South Wales all plastic bags

• US cities Bag Bans:
• 2007 San Francisco first US city - all plastic bags
• 2008 Manhattan Beach CA – all plastic bags
• 2008 Malibu City CA – all plastic bags, fine up to $1000
• 2009 North Carolina barrier islands plastic bags
• 2009 Edmonds WA – all plastic bags
• 2009 Kaua’i and Maui HI – all plastic bags
• 2010 Los Angeles – all single use plastic bags, replacing a 10c tax
• 2011 Long Beach CA – plastic bags
• 2011 Calabasas CA – plastic bags
• 2011 Santa Monica CA – plastic bags
• 2011 Santa Clara CA – plastic bags
• 2011 Portland Oregon – all plastic bags in stores larger than 10,000 sq ft
• 2011 Maui HI – all plastic bags
• 2011 Telluride CO – all plastic bags townwide within town limits
• 2011 Westport CT – all plastic bags
• 2011 Brownville TX – all plastic bags

• Success at Home

Countries and Cities with Green Fees

• 2002 Ireland 2007 Belgium 2008 Israel 2010 Washington DC 2010 Mexico City 2010 Telluride CO 2011 Wales
• 2011 Bulgaria
• 2011 Brownsville TX
• 2011 Aspen CO 2011 Basalt CO

Best Case Study: Ireland

• In 2002 Ireland began charging 28cents US for plastic and paper bags.
• This green fee reduced non reusable bag usage by 95%.
• Now nearly everyone in Ireland supports their community and proudly carries a reusable bag.

The Green Fee is NOT a “Tax”

• Green Fee
• Designed to educate 
• Reduces the use of disposable bags
• Similar to Use Fees like:
• Fish Creek Falls parking fee
• Routt County Landfill tipping fee
• Disposal fees for tires, car batteries, and motor oil

• Tax
• Effects everyone regardless of use
• Is harder to modify
• Less choice/options

Carrots are good for you, but they don’t reduce plastic bag use

• As studies have shown, City Market and Safeway also found that their reusable bag credits proved ineffective.
• What is effective:
• Any fee placed on the bags must be large enough to influence consumer choices, while remaining politically acceptable. (ICF 2010)
• Education, though not sufficient by itself, is a necessary component of any economic instrument aimed to reduce bag Consumption (Herrera 2008).
• Fees that are directly passed onto consumers have been effective at altering behavior (Herrera et al 2008 – 133).

• Carrot or a Stick?

Colorado Mountain Towns

• Telluride
• October, 2010 banned plastic bags + 10 cents per bag fee on “permitted paper bags”
• Aspen
• August, 2011, passed first reading for 20 cents per bag fee on all non reusable bags at grocers
• Basalt
• August, 2011, passed first reading for 20 cents per bag fee on all non reusable bags at grocers
• Carbondale
• September 2011, first reading is scheduled on ordinance for 20 cents per bag fee on all non reusable bags at grocers

Colorado Mountain Towns’ # 1 Goal: Support environment & reduce plastic

• Aspen’s program funds local environmental programs including:
• Programs and infrastructure to reduce waste and to recycle
• Community cleanup events
• Education and public website
• Reusable bags to residents and visitors
• Administer bag program, including 5% retained by stores, with a maximum of $100 monthly, $1,200 annually and $25 monthly thereafter

• But, what about funds generated?

The Steamboat Way: Focus on community

• Our environment is important to our locals, visitors and economy.
• We ski, hike, bike and shop green! How can we reduce plastic in our environment?
• Bans aren’t “Steamboat Friendly”
• Recognize the value of regional programs, and “Steamboatize” this idea

Solutions/Suggestions

• Begin with a “trial program” which can be reviewed modified, and managed
• Consider starting with all non reusable shopping bags at large, high use stores that sell groceries - focus on the goal of reducing plastic use
• The stores have and will continue to be our “bag partners,” have participating stores retain 1-2c/bag without a maximum
• Let other stores opt in, at their discretion
• Any proposed fee should be meaningful towards reducing non reusable bag use: consider keeping it on par with regional discussions at 20c
• The goal is to reduce plastic; but, what about the funds?
• Keep it similar to Routt County’s tipping fee, with funds targeted toward waste reduction, recycling and other environmental programs
• A “bag program” to purchase bags for low income residents and to offer reusable bags at a discount
• Public information and store signage are also possibilities for a “bag program”
• Continue current “green bag”, recycling and zero waste efforts

• Think Global - Act Local

• Keep our Mountains Green and thank you for talking plastic!

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