Toronto bans plastic bags

[M II A II R II K]

Toronto bans plastic bags


Jun. 06 2012

By ELIZABETH CHURCH AND KELLY GRANT



Read More: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toro...all-plastic-bags-by-2013/article4237201/

Mayor Rob Ford, who predicted the ban will face a legal challenge, had asked city council to scrap Toronto’s contentious five-cent levy for plastic shopping bags. Council supported the mayor and voted to scrap the tax – but then also agreed with a last-minute motion to ban bags outright, beginning Jan. 1. “It is not a smart move by council to ban plastic bags,” Mr. Ford said after vote. “I don’t think it is going to hold up in court. You can’t tell people they can’t give out plastic bags. To me it’s ludicrous.”

Marion Axmith, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Plastics Industry Association, warned that the move would kill jobs in Toronto and said the industry would consider all its options. On the other side of the debate, Emily Alfred from the Toronto Environmental Alliance said the ban is a sign the city is moving in the right direction. “It sends a clear signal Toronto wants to be an environmental leader,” she said.

Retailers were taken by surprise by the decision, with some warning the move will cost them more – partly to produce paper bags and also because of short-term lost sales if shoppers leave empty-handed without wanting to buy a reusable bag for their purchases. The ban, which was supported by a vote of 27-17, calls for the city “to prohibit all City of Toronto retail stores from providing customers with single-use plastic carryout (shopping) bags, including those advertised as compostable, biodegradable, photodegradable or similar.”

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[northbay]

Good for Toronto!

In California, a number of cities/counties have banned them including San Francisco, Marin County, San Jose, Los Angeles... Sonoma County has been talking about it but needs to get off its butt.

[DrNest]

What a ridiculous farce. Let's hope this nonsense is soon overturned and stores can go back to providing consumers with a plastic bag if so desired or needed.

I am very happy about this, the crap they sell for 5 cents, it deserves to be banned!

[DizzyEdge]

I was going to start a similar thread in the Canada section as a number of communities have been discussing this, perhaps this one could be moved?

[The_Architect]

Good. It's about time Toronto was progressive. What a hilarious embarrassment for Ford.

[Phil McAvity]

^If by progressive you mean idiotic, then I agree. It also amazes me how nazi-like many enviro-types are becoming.

[Doady]

Apparently Hazel McCallion is an enviro-Nazi as well, because she is also calling for plastic bags to banned in Mississauga.

[Phil McAvity]

^ It's been proven that plastic bags are an incredibly insignificant source of pollution and when one considers their benefits, their banning is irrational, not to mention dictatorial, so if she favours banning them then it's probably time for old Hazel to finally hang it up.

[Doady]

Originally Posted by Phil McAvity

^ It's been proven that plastic bags are an incredibly insignificant source of pollution and when one considers their benefits, their banning is irrational, not to mention dictatorial, so if she favours banning them then it's probably time for old Hazel to finally hang it up.

The only thing that's "dictatorial" here is saying that people should not run for office because you don't agree with their stance on environmental issues.

[Dylan Leblanc]

Originally Posted by DizzyEdge

I was going to start a similar thread in the Canada section as a number of communities have been discussing this, perhaps this one could be moved?

No, just start a new thread there.

[Innsertnamehere]

this subforum is struggling enough as it is lol.

[Klazu]

Toronto is setting a great example for other Canadian cities! Can't wait for Vancouver to join.

[Phil McAvity]

^Great, another idiotic enviro-nazi.

Originally Posted by Doady

The only thing that's "dictatorial" here is saying that people should not run for office because you don't agree with their stance on environmental issues.

I never said people shouldn't run for public office. What I said was that Hazel McCallion should pack it in if these are the kind of things she supports now. There's nothing dictatorial about criticizing elected officials either. In fact it's important in a democracy to do just that.


Here's something i'm sure you enviro-nazis have never read:

"Whole Foods recently announced that they will no longer be using plastic bags, but is that really the best thing for the environment? According to the Environment Protection Agency, paper is the number one item most frequently encountered in landfills. And let's not forget where paper comes from: trees. Millions of trees are being knocked down just because some people think that plastic bags are bad for the environment but they're wrong. Plastic bags are recyclable and isn't that the entire point of being 'green'? We're trying to reduce the amount of waste in the landfills by recycling more and throwing away less trash. Plastic bags aren't the evil items they're made out to be - they allow us to re-use them in our small household bins, as a means to carry our lunch to work or for a picnic; you can put your wet bathing suits in a plastic bag when packing, and how about re-using them when you go grocery shopping? If you're not re-using your grocery store plastic bags then what are you using to line your bathroom or office bins? Are you buying plastic bags from manufacturers like Hefty or Glad? Why buy bags when we can just recycle the ones we already have?"

Taken from: http://voices.yahoo.com/are-plastic-bags-really-bad-environment-863715.html

[Klazu]

Plastic and paper bags are both pure waste and should be banned everywhere. What's the trouble of carrying few well-lasting nylon bags with you when shopping for groceries? The plastic bags here are so thin that they can't be even re-used, as they normally get torn already on your way home. The quality of plastic bags (at least at Safeway) is so bad that the cashiers normally play safe and pack everything into double bags - and double the waste!

Coming from Europe I don't even understand what there is to debate here, as the whole things is a total no-brainer.

[Phil McAvity]

^You're right, it is a no-brainer, if customers don't have their own bags they should be given the choice of paper or plastic.

[Klazu]

At many Safeways they sell nylon-made bags right at the cashier stand, so solution is not far away. There should not be such thing as FREE plastic bags. Put a decent price tag on them (like in many Northern Europe countries) and people are sure to think twice if they will have their own bags.

[Dylan Leblanc]

But I want to stand on the street corner and hand out free plastic bags. You're saying I can't do that?

[DrNest]

Originally Posted by Klazu

At many Safeways they sell nylon-made bags right at the cashier stand, so solution is not far away. There should not be such thing as FREE plastic bags. Put a decent price tag on them (like in many Northern Europe countries) and people are sure to think twice if they will have their own bags.

Which Northern European countries is that? I'm from England and all the stores I shop at give out free plastic bags. A few do charge, but I no longer shop there. And some of the bigger grocery stores near where I'm from used to charge, but backtracked after many complaints and noticing their sales were down.

[casper]

Does the ban apply to all stores or just grocery stores?