Banning Plastic Bags

An idea whose time is dumb.

Plastic bags are not a landfill problem the way the paper bags used to be. 98% of the people who have plastic bags re-use or re-cycle them. They are light, efficient and work very well. The legislature is intent on banning them.

Seattle City Council recently banned single use plastic bags. Apparently the Council is still miffed over the People's rejection of their 20 cent per bag tax, so they are beating on the people. By the way, Seattle City Council added a 5 cent fee on paper bags.

The rationale for the statewide bag ban is that it is too hard for businesses to conform to the patchwork of local regulations imposed on plastic bags. It figures Olympia would think the answer to stupid government is more stupid government.

HB 1877, was introduced by Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon & Rep. Marko Liias, both Democrats. Liias, you may recall, proposed increasing fees on the People's initiatives in order to silence the common rabble last year.

SB 5780 was introduced by Senator Maralyn Chase and Senator Adam Kline, both Democrats.