WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW! PLEASE CONTACT ME TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO MAKE SURE THE MARYLAND PLASTIC BAG BAN BILL PASSES!

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Press Release:

February 5, 2008

Delegate Todd Schuler’s Office
Maryland House of Delegates
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Phone: 410-841-3526
Email: [email protected]

Legislation Promoting Reusable Bags Planned for Maryland

In Annapolis, Delegate Todd Schuler (D-Baltimore County) announced creation of a bill to promote the ban of plastic bags in Maryland grocery stores. Plastic grocery bags would be replaced with environmentally friendly, re-useable canvas bags, or the alternative, less environmentally intrusive paper bags. Similar legislation has been introduced and passed by several states and countries in the past several years. South Africa, Australia, China, Ireland, Denmark, France and Taiwan have all initiated plastic bag restrictions in recent years. Within the United States, San Francisco and San Jose, California have already implemented legislation prohibiting the use of plastic grocery bags.

Here in Maryland, Alderman Sam Shropshire introduced an Annapolis-wide ban and Councilman Jim Kraft launched a Baltimore citywide ban. In addition, Delegate Sue Hecht, a co-sponsor of the Del. Schuler’s bill, has introduced a bill to form a task force to study the plastic bag problem.

In the United States alone, Americans use approximately 100 billion plastic bags each year. Delegate Schuler’s legislation takes aim at reducing the use of these bags that litter Maryland’s waterways and roads. The main goals of this legislation are:

· Decrease dependence on non-biodegradable materials

· Preserve landfill space (the average U.S. city holds 5,000 tons of plastic bags in their landfills)

· Reduce litter caused by plastic bags (each year approximately 238 tons of litter is created by plastic bags)

· Protect Maryland’s marine life

· Minimize pollution created by plastic bag production

In addition to Maryland, lawmakers across the country are moving forward with similar legislation blocking the use of plastic bags. Cities currently forming legislation regarding plastic bag bans include Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia and Houston.

Quotes:

“Plastic bags are destructive to wildlife, non-biodegradable, are unsightly, and made of dangerous oils. Plastic bags are not necessary. Around the world people are beginning to use re-useable bags in an effort to protect our environment.”- Delegate Todd Schuler

“Whenever we are involved in a community clean up effort, whether it be streets, streams or parks, there is one item we find every single time-plastic bags”- Delegate Eric Bromwell

“I hope this bill raises people’s awareness about how destructive the environment these bags can be”- Delegate Ben Barnes

“As citizens, there is a lot we can do in our daily lives to have an impact-reduce, reuse, recycle. But these efforts alone can only slow the damage being done to our environment. If we are going to think about long-term solutions, we need to keep harmful products from entering the waste-stream in the first place”- Councilman James Kraft

“Representing a district with a vast waterfront and vibrant boating community, I am pleased to join this effort to preserve an environmental legacy that my constituents, and all Marylanders can be proud of.”- Delegate John Olszewski Jr.

“We use too many plastic bags in this state”- Delegate Jim Gilchrist

List of Co-Sponsors:

Ben Barnes
Kumar Barve
Pamela Beidle
Eric Bromwell
Jon Cardin
Steven DeBoy
Kathleen Dumais
Jim Gilchrist
Guy Guzzone
Sue Hecht
Tom Hucker
Jolene Ivey
Carolyn Krysiak
Sue Kullen
Stephen Lafferty
Dan Morhaim
John Olszewski Jr.
Victor Ramirez
Jay Walker

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Press Release:

25 February 2008

Samuel E. Shropshire
Alderman / Ward 7
PO Box 5634
Annapolis, MD 21403
Phone / 410-570-7053 Fax / 202-558-7758
E-mail / [email protected]

Annapolis Maryland Votes to Cut Plastic Bag Distribution by Major Retail Chains by 40%

The vote was 8-1 in favor of comprehensive environmental legislation that included a last minute amendment demanding that major grocery and drugstore chains reduce the number of plastic checkout bags distributed by 40%. The chains have been given until May 31, 2009, to reach the target.

The Annapolis City Council is asking the major chains to do this by aggressively marketing reusable shopping bags.

The call for a reduction was an amendment sponsored by Alderman Sam Shropshire (D) that was inserted into a more comprehensive environmental bill that sets up an Environmental Review Committee to oversee the city government’s own environmental policies.

According to Shropshire, “Each reusable shopping bag sold, when used consistently will replace a thousand plastic bags within a year.”

Annapolis has now moved ahead among a growing number of American cities that are requesting either bans or restrictions on the use of plastic checkout bags.

Mayor Ellen Moyer (D) joined with Shropshire and six other aldermen (4 Democrats, a Republican and an Independent) in voting for the amendment calling for a drastic reduction in the number of plastic checkout bags being distributed by the city’s largest retailers.

The city’s mayor is now distributing several thousand cloth reusable bags to citizens to encourage their use.

“Annapolis prides itself in being out front and a leader when it comes to the environment,” Moyer says.

The Maryland General Assembly is considering a total ban on plastic checkout bags in the state’s retail outlets. That legislation, sponsored by Delegate Todd Schuler (D), now has bipartisan support with more than 20 co-sponsors.

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MORE INFORMATION & NEWS RELEASES:

Currently more than 100 billion plastic checkout bags are distributed annually in the United States. 99% of these plastic checkout bags are not being recycled. These bags either end up in landfills or are released into the environment. They not only litter our streets and highways, they clog our storm drains and do great harm to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries and marine life.

http://www.aldermansam.com/legis-plastic.htm

http://plasticbagban.blogspot.com/ - Information for cities considering plastic checkout bag bans

http://www.bagmonster.com
http://www.bagmonsterbusters.com

http://www.bayweekly.com/year07/issuexv37/leadxv37_1.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/us/24plastic.html?ex= 1342929600&en=b00211e238911098&ei=5088&partner=r ssnyt&emc=rss
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1649301,00. html? TB_<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<[ <<<<<<<<<[iframe>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>=true&height=500&width=750

http://www.messageinthewaves.com/
http://www.algalita.org/pelagic_plastic_mov.html
http://www.channelg.tv/distinct_project.php?project_id=52

PLASTIC PLANET: THE CURSE OF THE CARRIER BAG
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Posted Aug 13, 2007

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