Questions Surrounding The Aspen Proposal


by Matt Lewison


Plastic bags are actually one of the biggest environmental problems these days. They lead to environmental destruction in a number of ways. Valuable natural resources are consumed for the manufacturing of plastic bags. The bags are used just once for a short period of time and then tossed straight into the trash. Plastic waste disposal is a problem that is lacking an effectual solution. Since they are not biodegradable, a majority of these plastic bags continue harming land in addition to oceans for many centuries. They result in the demise of a lot of marine birds and animals, increase landfill waste and generate litter. A lot of countries have made efforts to reduce the utilization of plastic bags. Various places in the US have come up with laws banning plastic bag consumption.

Ordinance to Impose a Fee on Plastic Grocery Bags in Aspen

As documented in a newly released report in Post Independent, an ordinance to charge supermarket consumers a fee of twenty cents for offering either plastic or even paper bags was announced in Aspen. On the first reading, the regulation received almost total support from the council members with a 4-1 vote. Still nearly all members continue to have lots of unanswered questions and require further facts. Nearly all questions include the twenty cent amount and the reasons for deciding on this amount.

Questions Surrounding the Proposal

Council member Adam Filch happens to be a supporter of the eco friendly movement. He also offered complimentary recyclable bags to voters while campaigning for council seat in spring. Yet in the very first reading, he was the only one to vote against the regulation. While the reasons for this haven't been clarified, earlier Filch indicated concern over the effectiveness of a 20 cent fee in lessening the utilization of plastic bags. He furthermore expressed a desire to find out how the fee amount was arrived at and if it represents the cost of gathering a thrown-away plastic bag.

Although some members feel that the fee is simply too modest to discourage the utilization of plastic bags, other members like Steve Skadron think that a 20 cent fee might be too ambitious. As stated by him, a 10 cent or possibly a five cent charge ought to be considered. Aside from the buyers, the regulation will also affect grocers. Imposing a fee for a grocery bag can be a burden for the stores. As stated in the existing proposal, 5% of the fee will go to the stores as a payment for the extra costs. But council member Derek Johnson states that this may be too little. Five percent of the charge signifies about $100 per month, which is very low given that the grocery stores might need to spend money on electronic register reprogramming and also employee training. They might also face productivity decline. According to Johnson, the situation should be talked over with the grocers.

Grocers can use reusable custom bags to market both their company along with the green movement. The most important goal of this approach is to reduce the use of plastic bags. But in case the fee is inadequate in motivating people to give up plastic or paper bags in favor of reusable grocery shopping bags, it would earn the city around $1 million in just a year.




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