Plastic Bag Debate Begins Anew in Madison

The great discussion over plastic bags is heading up in Wisconsin: a proposal is going before Madison’s Common Council this week which, if passed, could ban throwing away clean plastic bags. It’s reportedly the first time such a proposal has made it on the Council agenda, and proponents argue that it’s an often glossed-over topic that is well overdue for a good hard look.

“Something as simple as this — plastic bags — is actually put way down on the list, when it should be a priority,” Compton said. “So, we have all these grants and all these people doing research, but we’re not down to the basic — let’s take away the harm we do to the environment.”

As far as plastic bag ordinances go, this is a majorly moderate one — nothing is being taxed or banned outright yet, all that has been asked for is a simple act of conservation.

Compton’s proposal doesn’t include soiled plastic bags, and wouldn’t stop stores from handing them out to customers.

“If you have (a bag in) a wastebasket and you have poured in fingernail polish remover and makeup and that’s your bathroom trash can, it’s dirty, throw it away,” Compton said.

She also said she would like to see a ban on using all plastic bags, but in researching the proposal found that’s not fiscally feasible for grocers to comply. For example, it would force grocery stores to find specialty bags for customers to wrap small items like their fresh vegetables.

So far Madison’s citizens seem cautiously receptive to the idea, though some question the enforceability of the law — and, indeed, it does seem to encompass a heavy gray area. How would one know when a bag is dirty enough to throw away? And how could evidence be collected, for once a bag is in the trash can or a landfill, it will be unusable enough regardless of where the dirt originated. Nevertheless, it’s an effort. The first offense would cost offenders $100, with fines rising up to $400 for multiple infractions. A steep fee, but perhaps a small price to pay for keeping the environment a little more plastic-free.

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 at 12:19 pm and is filed under The Daily. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.