Slaying the Plastic Dragon - Day 25 - Thoughts on Plastic Bags in My State

When I read about countries like Kenya and Senegal passing laws banning plastic bags or when I read about Austria deciding to voluntarily give up plastic bags, I wonder why I see so many plastic bags in all the stores here in Northern Virginia.  Honestly, the Giant near me has a big automatic checkout area, and all you see are plastic bags set up to receive the items everyone is buying and then immediately putting into these bags.  Hundreds of bags must go out of that store every single day.  It is criminal!  They do have paper bags there too, but there are just few tucked between the check out machine and the stand where the plastic bags are.  It is difficult to notice them and no where is it posted that there is an alternative to the plastic bags.  That's just one store among hundreds.

I think this is a photo of the Glad Manufacttring plant in Amherst, VA

The problems with pushing against plastic shopping bags are:  1) we have two plastic bag manufacturers here in Virginia that provides jobs in areas that I'm guessing don't have many jobs.  and 2) people are sick of taxes and feel that this bag tax disproportionately hurts small businesses.    This idea is expressed by someone in this article (among other things.)

In Virginia, the Northern Virginia area is booming and bustling; it feeds off of the federal government in Washington DC and the many contracting companies.  It is a wealthy area and densely populated.  This region is expanding.  So while it use to comprise of the City of Alexandria, and Arlington and Fairfax counties, now it includes Loudoun and Prince William counties.   But there are no true big cities in Virginia.  The Newport News/Norfolk area's economy is based on the Navy and shipbuilding.  Richmond is the state capital and used to be a big center for the tobacco industry which of course has shrunk as anti-smoking attitudes and policies took hold of our culture.    There are other small cities usually based around universities.  Most of Virginia is rural and depressed economically.  Here's wikipedia's breakdown.

I don't argue that there is truth in the assertions about plastic bag taxes/bans and I do not want to take away people's jobs or hurt small businesses!  We should study the impact a plastic ban or tax has had on other communities who have already banned/taxed plastic bags and see how they dealt with these things.  Maybe the tax has proven not to hurt businesses or at least not enough to justify the bags. Humans are amazing in terms of problem-solving!  We can do this!  The Clorox company, which owns Glad bags, seems to me to probably provide some muscle behind the lobbying against plastic bans/taxes.  Surely, though, such a big company must see the writing on the wall, and realize their days of manufacturing these types of bags are numbered.  I wonder what proportion of their income comes from plastic grocery bags?  They must be working towards revamping their production to get with the times.  Let's hope so.  At least they are paying lip service to sustainability.  Maybe we can get them to actually follow through on this to some degree.

Infinity Global took over an old tobacco warehouse

There is another plastic bag producer in Danville, Virginia, Infinity Global Packaging.  I know Danville is a kind of depressed place, so this company probably provides steady jobs (that's my assumption!).  Here's an article which mentions how Infinity Global moved into an old tobacco warehouse and has provided jobs.  But there must be a way to work with these companies who must realize that their heyday is over in terms of disposable plastic.  We simply can't afford to keep filling our state, country and world up with trash that will last thousands upon thousands of years, especially at the crazy rate we are doing it.  Beth Terry talks about how fighting plastic pollution like is trying to bail out a bathtub when the spigot is pouring the water out full force.  What we are currently doing just isn't enough to avert disaster!  Someone has to turn the spigot off or at least decrease the amount pouring in significantly.  People in the plastic business probably don't want to leave the earth a polluted wasteland for their children either.  They probably just don't know the consequences of so much single use plastic.  And because we are talking about jobs, they probably are in a defensive mindset that isn't open to seeing those consequences.  The plastic industry has put out a campaign called Bag the Ban (ha, ha play on words there, instead of Ban the Bag).

Ideally the demand for plastic bags should be reduced through public awareness and through the public realizing how important it is for themselves and their children.  If we can get people to voluntarily give up plastic bags, the plastic bag industry would be forced to adapt.  Hopefully, it can convert to some other production that won't harm too many workers.  Hopefully, small businesses can grow bigger and hire more people!  I keep saying hoping, because I am probably being idealistic.

Just for comparison's sake:  Maryland article on banning plastic bags.  Maryland also has a huge plastic bag producer in their state.  However, they have managed to get plastic bags banned in three localities at least.

I remember a speaker from Virginia Green Baggers saying that because Virginia is a commonwealth, in order to ban or tax bags, it must be done statewide, through the state legislature.  That doesn't quite make sense to me.  I noticed that in Massachusetts, also a commonwealth, they have managed to ban plastic bags in various localities.

Random thoughts and ideas:
Focus on Virginia Beach and plastic pollution in the ocean.  Ocean communities seem to be the most sensitive to this issue.
Focus on Chesapeake Bay and Virginia's major rivers -  Potomac, Rappahannock, York, James.  - There was/is such a huge campaign to clean up the Chesapeake.  Was that mostly in Maryland?  What about Virginia?
Start a letter writing campaign - to the state legislature, to county and city governments, to Clorox and Glad and Trinity Global
What if my parish school worked on such a campaign and then it got covered by local news?  Wouldn't that be fantastic?
Since my parish has started up an environmental ministry - I think the diocese should come up with programs to promote environmental awareness and reward those parishes and schools that are attentive and active.
What if public schools did this too?
We need to galvanize people about this issue.
We need to work locally.  My locality is the Commonwealth of Virginia.  I better get started!  (just as soon as I take this Latin final exam!)