Let’s Talk Plastic

Free plastic bags are too expensive United States uses 100 billion plastic bags per year: = 12 million barrels of petroleum or 504 million gallons = $4 billion/year cost passed onto consumers 13 bags = petroleum to drive 1 mile Plastic bags take 400 – 1,000 years to biodegrade Less than 10% of plastic bags are recycled

Wildlife and the Environment An estimated 100,000 marine mammals and up to 1 million sea birds die every year after ingesting or being tangled in plastic marine litter. Plastic bags travel: they float easily in the air and water. They have been found on the bottom of the ocean and the top of Mt. Everest They are litter; clogging waterways and sewers They contaminate compost and hinder recycling efforts

½ Days Litter Without Even Looking

What about paper bags? Customers are rarely asked “Paper or Plastic” anymore because paper is no better: High energy from production, use, and disposal as well as: High water, atmospheric emissions High cost and s olid waste Paper uses 14 million trees annually Paper must be turned to pulp when recycled, creating cardboard, not more paper bags Paper doesn’t break down completely in landfills without light and oxygen Neither is Better!

Steamboat’s Green Bag History 1990: local activists and YVR produced 300 reusable bags 2008 – local activists approached YVR to energize bag program 2008 – 2011: Routt County Commissioners granted YVR “seed” money for a self sustaining revolving fund to purchase and sell reusable shopping bags: To date, approx 8,000 bags sold at cost o Local small retailers o Promotions at large retailers, including:  Thanksgiving “Put Your Turkey in a Bag”  Christmas “Bag Your Gifts”  Start your New Year with a Green Bag  Saint Patrick Day Green Bags 2009 Colorado Association of Ski Towns Bag Challenge o Steamboat finished 6 th in per capita savings & 3 rd in total bags saved o Steamboat shoppers used 169,285 reusable bags from March – August, 2009 “Bagit” Movie – March, 2011 o 135 attendees asked YVR to bring the discussion to the next level

Success in Other Communities around the World World Wide Bag Bans: 1999 Corsica in large stores – first island 2002 Bangladesh all polyethylene bags – first large country 2003 Taiwan plastic plates, cups, cutlery 2003 Himachal Pradesh India manufacture, sale, and use of all plastic bags 2003 South Africa – all think plastic bags, retailers not in compliance fined $13,000US 2003 Rwanda – all polythene products 2004 Papa New Guinea all plastic bags, retailers not in compliance face jail time 2005 Delhi, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Sikkim, Goa, Keral and Karmatak States of India 2006 Tanzania all plastic bags 2007 Taiwan all plastic bags 2007 Kenya and Uganda all plastic bags 2008 China all plastic bags – production, sale and use of bags under.025mm thick 2008 Buenos Aires all plastic bags, must be biodegradable by South Australia all plastic bags 2009 Bolivia all plastic bags 2010 France all non biodegradable bags at all shops 2010 Sioux Lookout, Ontario all plastic bags 2010 Wood Buffalo, Alberta all single use bags 2010 Manitoba all single use bags 2010 Thompson Canada plastic bags 2011 Italy all non biodegradable bags at all shops 2011 Northern Territory Australia all plastic bags 2011 New South Wales all plastic bags

US cities Bag Bans: 2007 San Francisco first US city - all plastic bags 2008 Manhattan Beach CA – all plastic bags 2008 Malibu City CA – all plastic bags, fine up to $ North Carolina barrier islands plastic bags 2009 Edmonds WA – all plastic bags 2009 Kaua’i and Maui HI – all plastic bags 2010 Los Angeles – all single use plastic bags, replacing a 10c tax 2011 Long Beach CA – plastic bags 2011 Calabasas CA – plastic bags 2011 Santa Monica CA – plastic bags 2011 Santa Clara CA – plastic bags 2011 Portland Oregon – all plastic bags in stores larger than 10,000 sq ft 2011 Maui HI – all plastic bags 2011 Telluride CO – all plastic bags townwide within town limits 2011 Westport CT – all plastic bags 2011 Brownville TX – all plastic bags Success at Home

Countries and Cities with Green Fees 2002 Ireland 2007 Belgium 2008 Israel 2010 Washington DC 2010 Mexico City 2010 Telluride CO 2011 Wales 2011 Bulgaria 2011 Brownsville TX 2011 Aspen CO 2011 Basalt CO

Best Case Study: Ireland In 2002 Ireland began charging 28cents US for plastic and paper bags. This green fee reduced non reusable bag usage by 95%. Now nearly everyone in Ireland supports their community and proudly carries a reusable bag.

The Green Fee is NOT a “Tax” Green Fee Designed to educate Reduces the use of disposable bags Similar to Use Fees like: o Fish Creek Falls parking fee o Routt County Landfill tipping fee o Disposal fees for tires, car batteries, and motor oil Tax Effects everyone regardless of use Is harder to modify Less choice/options

Carrots are good for you, but they don’t reduce plastic bag use As studies have shown, City Market and Safeway also found that their reusable bag credits proved ineffective. What is effective: Any fee placed on the bags must be large enough to influence consumer choices, while remaining politically acceptable. (ICF 2010) Education, though not sufficient by itself, is a necessary component of any economic instrument aimed to reduce bag Consumption (Herrera 2008). Fees that are directly passed onto consumers have been effective at altering behavior (Herrera et al 2008 – 133). Carrot or a Stick?

Colorado Mountain Towns Telluride o October, 2010 banned plastic bags + 10 cents per bag fee on “permitted paper bags” Aspen o August, 2011, passed first reading for 20 cents per bag fee on all non reusable bags at grocers Basalt o August, 2011, passed first reading for 20 cents per bag fee on all non reusable bags at grocers Carbondale o September 2011, first reading is scheduled on ordinance for 20 cents per bag fee on all non reusable bags at grocers

Colorado Mountain Towns’ # 1 Goal: Support environment & reduce plastic Aspen’s program funds local environmental programs including: o Programs and infrastructure to reduce waste and to recycle o Community cleanup events o Education and public website o Reusable bags to residents and visitors o Administer bag program, including 5% retained by stores, with a maximum of $100 monthly, $1,200 annually and $25 monthly thereafter But, what about funds generated?

The Steamboat Way: Focus on community Our environment is important to our locals, visitors and economy. We ski, hike, bike and shop green! How can we reduce plastic in our environment? Bans aren’t “Steamboat Friendly” Recognize the value of regional programs, and “Steamboatize” this idea

Solutions/Suggestions Begin with a “trial program” which can be reviewed modified, and managed Consider starting with all non reusable shopping bags at large, high use stores that sell groceries - focus on the goal of reducing plastic use The stores have and will continue to be our “bag partners,” have participating stores retain 1-2c/bag without a maximum Let other stores opt in, at their discretion Any proposed fee should be meaningful towards reducing non reusable bag use: consider keeping it on par with regional discussions at 20c The goal is to reduce plastic; but, what about the funds? o Keep it similar to Routt County’s tipping fee, with funds targeted toward waste reduction, recycling and other environmental programs o A “bag program” to purchase bags for low income residents and to offer reusable bags at a discount o Public information and store signage are also possibilities for a “bag program” Continue current “green bag”, recycling and zero waste efforts Think Global - Act Local

Keep our Mountains Green and thank you for talking plastic!