Environmental Groups Applaud Seattle City Council for their Leadership on Bags

Contact:

Jody Kennedy, Surfrider Foundation, cell (206) 940-6509

Katrina Rosen, Environment Washington, cell (206) 841-5141

Rein Atteman, People For Puget Sound, cell (206) 334-6472

Brady Montz, Sierra Club, cell (425) 891-5087

Sally Wolf, Zero Waste Seattle, cell (206) 579-0500

Environmental Groups Applaud Seattle City Council for their Leadership on Bags

Bag ordinance passes:  plastic bag ban, 5 cents on paper bags. goes into effect 7/1/12

Seattle. The Seattle City Council today unanimously passed the Seattle Bag Ordinance (Council Bill 11734).  This vote was applauded by the coalition of environmental groups – Environment Washington, Surfrider Foundation, People For Puget Sound, Sierra Club, Zero Waste Seattle, and others – who have been working to develop grassroots support for the ordinance.

Special praise goes to Council Member Mike O’Brien for his leadership on the bag ordinance and the phone book opt-out ordinance last year.

“This ordinance to ban plastic bags is part of a larger Zero Waste initiative that also includes a ban on styrofoam, citywide residential organics composting, and providing our residents and businesses with a chance to stop unwanted yellow pages deliveries. These are all concrete steps towards reducing unnecessary waste in Seattle,” said O’Brien.  “We are saving the city money and we are reducing impacts on the environment.  Building towards our waste reduction goals are also a key part of our overall efforts to be a carbon neutral city by 2050.”

The Bag Ordinance passed by Seattle City Council bans thin single-use plastic bags at checkout stands.  The ordinance includes a pass through fee of 5 cents for paper bags.  .

The Seattle bag ordinance has the same requirements as the Bellingham ordinance passed in July.  Edmonds and Mukilteo have banned plastic bags and did not include a 4 cent carry-through fee.

“We are pleased to see bag action in a number of Washington cities,” said Katrina Rosin, Environment Washington's Field Director.  “There seems to be a growing momentum in Washington as well as along the west coast.”

The ordinance supports the City’s zero waste strategy and efforts to clean up Puget Sound and other essential waterways.  “We are pleased that the city has shown leadership on foamed polystyrene, then phone books and bags,” said Sally Wolf of Zero Waste Seattle.

Brady Montz of the Sierra Club, Seattle Group continued, “Zero waste efforts like that on bags are adding up.  We see these all contributing to the steps Seattle is taking to reduce our carbon footprint.”

“Tiny bit of plastics, including plastic bag film, are being found in all water samples taken in Puget Sound,” said Heather Trim, Policy Director of People For Puget Sound.  “Reducing the use of single-use plastics, like bags, will make a difference for the health of wildlife in Puget Sound and out in the Pacific.”

Reduction of plastic bags is an international issue for the Surfrider Foundation which works to reduce plastic debris in the oceans.   “Our members are out on the water,” said Jody Kennedy, Policy Manager with the Surfrider Foundation.  “They see the plastic.  This has motivated our members to help do beach cleanups almost every week throughout the year.”

Seattle’s ordinance was passed with support from Seattle’s recycling contractors--Allied Waste and Cedar Grove – as well as support from the Northwest Grocery Association.  The American Chemistry Association and their affiliates were in opposition.

For more info:

Environment Washington:  www.environmentwashington.org

People For Puget Sound: www.pugetsound.org

Surfrider Foundation:  http://ww2.surfrider.org/seattle

Sierra Club, Seattle Group/Washington State Chapter:  http://cascade.sierraclub.org

Zero Waste Seattle:  www.zerowasteseattle.org