Seattle to Hold Public Forum on Disposable Solutions

Heads up, Seattle! Tonight at 7PM, city council will be holding a public forum on two pressing and pertinent environmental subjects: a proposed wholesale ban on Styrofoam products and added 20-cent fee for disposable plastic bags.

Even if it’s costly, [Seattle Mayor Greg] Nickels says shoppers, consumers and businesses need to do right by the environment.

Council President Richard Conlin, who helped draft the plan, said the changes are needed because “we know about the environmental problems caused by plastic in the middle of the Pacific, to the plastic that clogs our drains, to the litter we find on our streets. Here’s a chance to do something where there are excellent substitutes available.”

Both proposals are expected to pass, and will come on the heels of 2006’s successful compulsory recycling program. Still, it isn’t without any opposition whatsoever. Grocery store associations are asserting that (especially with currently rising food prices) the bag tax should either be applied to all retailers or none at all — a very valid assertion, actually, and one that will likely be addressed tonight. Other valid questions being raised concern the impact on small businesses and low-income families. The city has vowed to help the latter, distributing at least one free reusable bag per household, but whether or not that’s enough to solve the problem is up for debate.

Are you in Seattle? Do you have an opinion or a concern that needs voicing, or are you simply interested in watching the public legistlation process unfold? Council Chambers in Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave., second floor — be there, or forever hold your peace.

Image via Seattle Municipal Archives!

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 8:58 am and is filed under Happenings, 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.