22 May Austin Bag Ordinance passes

Austin Bag Ordinance passes, by Craig Nazor, conservation committee

At shortly after 2 AM on Friday morning, March 2nd, the Austin City Council voted unanimously to pass a single-use bag ordinance. This is good news for those who value a cleaner Austin!

The new ordinance is schedule to go into effect on March 1, 2013. The year delay in the implementation of the ordinance serves three purposes: it allows the City some time to work out the details about how to implement the ordinance, it allows retailers to prepare for the changes that the ordinance will require, and it allows the City time to educate the citizens of Austin about how the ordinance will operate once it goes into effect.

This ordinance was strongly supported by the Sierra Club, along with virtually all of the rest of the Austin environmental community, as it will significantly reduce the household waste stream to the landfill, as well as reduce the amount of trash on our roadsides, rivers, and lakes. We can support this environmental victory by helping to educate those Austinites who may be apprehensive about the minor changes this ordinance may require in their daily routines.

The most important thing to know about this ordinance is that, despite its frequent public billing, the new rule does NOT constitute a “bag ban.”  The possession and use of all plastic bags will remain completely legal by all Austin citizens. The ordinance simply bans the free distribution or sale of single-use plastic and paper bags by Austin retailers, with a number of exceptions. Thicker, multiple-use plastic bags, heavy-duty paper bags, and multiple –use cloth bags will still be available for a fee at most retailers. Newspaper bags, produce bags, dry cleaning bags, and garbage bags, among others, will all be exempted. A more detailed list of exemptions can be found at:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/austin-recycles/austin-city-council-passes-single-use-bag-ordinance/336391703079210

At the late hour of the ordinance’s approval, some questions arose about the sourcing of the paper bags that will still be acceptable for distribution under the new ordinance. Paper bags are, of course, recyclable; but for true sustainability, the source of the paper should also be taken into account, as producing paper requires the destruction of forests. There are a number of organizations that certify paper products as being produced from sustainable forestry practices. The highest standards among these certifications are those held by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Obtaining paper through sustainable forestry practices helps protect the homes of spectacular and rare wildlife such as orangutans, gibbons, hornbills, harpy eagles, lynx, and tigers.

Please consider emailing the Austin City Council and asking them to make the FSC sustainability certification the standard for paper bags in the City of Austin. The Austin City Council can be contacted through their website:

http://www.austintexas.gov/department/city-council