Frankfort City Commissioner Anna Marie Rosen has been a vocal advocate for the implementation of a single-use plastic bag surcharge. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
Frankfort City Commissioner Anna Marie Rosen has been a vocal advocate for the implementation of a single-use plastic bag surcharge. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
Outgoing Frankfort City Commissioner Anna Marie Rosen has been a vocal advocate for the implementation of a single-use plastic bag surcharge during her tenure, with the hopes that it would lead to the eventual elimination of these bags from most retailers.
At the final voting session of the Frankfort City Commission, she appealed to the board to implement an exploratory committee to research the viability of this kind of program, but ultimately the discussion was tabled.
Rosen told The State-Journal that “the Commission did not even give me a 2nd for a motion to have staff study the possibility of a bag fee. They suggested that I could work with the County Solid Waste Task force.
“I am not one of the appointed members, but have attended one of their quarterly meetings, and plan on meeting with Brittany Woodward (task force supervisor) and discussing this with her in the new year.”
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, American consumers use over 100 billion single-use plastic bags every year, and of that total only 1-3% on average are recycled.
The Conservation Law Center in Boston published results of an Australian study in 2020 that 28.5% of plastic reduction from a recently adopted California ban was due to shifting utilization of other forms of bags (in particular, paper bags which are recyclable in most single-stream facilities).
The study also showed that overall consumption of plastic bags went down 71%, and kept 100% of bags out of single-stream recycling facilities. These bags are notorious for clogging up machinery, leading to prolonged delays in recycling processing.
Do you support a plastic bag fee ordinance in Frankfort/Franklin County?
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Studies conducted by the Beyond the Bag initiative, a southern California-based program leading the charge in single-use bag elimination found that many larger retailers are giving serious thought and financial support to reusable bag programs, with companies like Walgreens, CVS, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Kroger collectively donating more than $15 million to launch the program.
Other companies, like Aldi, Sam’s Club and Costco long ago eliminated plastic bags from their checkouts.
One of the biggest issues raised by opponents of these ordinances is that fees, even as low as a nickel, would be unfeasible for residents on restricted incomes.
Rosen points out that in both Minneapolis and Duluth, where these fees have been adopted, “Recipients of assistance programs like SNAP are exempt from the bag fee.”
However, she also points out that “those in lower income levels will be more affected by the costs for recycling and sewer processing due to expensive equipment maintenance and waste removal from the landscape.”
So, who ultimately foots the cost for this kind of program?
Rosen’s data shows that businesses who eliminate single-use plastic from their stores can see up to an 85% reduction in bag supplies, and that many calculate the bag fee into the costs of items. With a supply cost reduction, and the fee itself built into the costs of items across a store, this can mean savings for customers down the road.
“This is a significant benefit to small retail, as they purchase bags in smaller quantities at higher cost,” Rosen explained.
Reusable bags can also be a great marketing tool for businesses, according to online small business blog Mind My Business.
“If a small business invests in reusable bags made of natural materials like cotton, hemp or linen, the bags are one of the single bestportable advertisements available. The benefits far outweigh the costs, particularly if you offer incentives or discounts to customers who use them,” according to the blog.
Will Frankfort residents shake off plastic for reusable bags? Is a $.05 fee something businesses feel they can charge their customers? And will small businesses be willing to help implement the change to reusable bags?
A lions share of the bags used at the Farmers Market in Frankfort and Louisville are reusable cloth type , brought and cared for by the customers at these markets. Some will bring the tiniest balls of light weight, reusable , inexpensive netting type bags that they pull out of their pockets like magicians that open into an enormous large volume carrier! ( kinda like those rain coats that fold up and fit in a pocket ) I find those customers as quite clever. My dear ol’ 89 year old Momma , to this day , has reusable bags in her car trunk , to use grocery shopping ( my sister takes her once a week )
I’ve used canvas bags for 15 years, it’s really not that hard of a habit to get into. I can put all my groceries into about 5 canvas bags as opposed to 25+ plastic bags it would take.
5 cents won’t prohibit most, only the lowest income. New York City has zero plastic bags. If you don’t bring your own you have to purchase a reusable bag. People learn real quick to bring there own.
Brave moves make waves but ultimately make the biggest difference. Just my opinion
Yes Diane, your right . We must protect our worlds green space , environment and ecology. And it will take even more than stopping the use of wasteful plastic bags . We have to stop the use of our renewable resources , that are being destroyed, faster than they grow back plus burning fossil fuel by the eccentric wealthy such as Elon Musk and his senseless rockets launched thru our atmosphere, destroying it .
You know what? We have to stop out of control urban sprawl by greedy capitalistic industries, developers, bankers and realtors , too, seeking monetary gains at the expense of our children’s world .
This email was sent to the Board of Commissioners on September 30th 2022:
I do agree that they are a nuisance and need to be addressed, but instead of raising taxes, here is an unconventional solution without raising taxes.
This is an absolute best case scenario with 100 percent compliance by every citizen, including children, in the City of Frankfort:
Population: 29,218
Each individual recycling 5 plastic bags a week
Total bags recycled: 146,090/week
Total weight of bags: 1826 pounds
Obviously, there will not be 100 percent compliance, so these numbers are wildly exaggerated; however, this is a solution that is simple and cheap!
We offer this as another recycling item; the bags are compressed, put on a pallet, then delivered to Kroger/Wal-Mart., Since consumers can already deliver their bags now, this allows those retailers to promote this service and save on labor costs because the bags are already packaged.
Sounds crazy but sometimes we need to break away from the norm.
I am trying to understand your point, but you are correct in that your numbers are wildly exaggerated. I thought that compliance on returning bags is 1-3%. How can this possibly offer a simple and cheap solution?
Plastics are much more than just a nuisance, as when the break down and enter the environment, we are all exposed to microplastics and the chemical additives they contain. Recent studies have found microplastics in human blood, lungs, and placenta. They are in the fish that we eat. Recycling plastic is a myth.
Sadly, engineers can’t perfect biodegradable plastic( still made from fossil fuels) from contaminating our planet with micro plastics. Engineers have developed a “ bio plastic “ from plant based “ biomass , but it has problems biodegrading in land fills and isn’t good for marine life either . It does compost, in conventional methods, but land fills aren’t design to break down anything - no air circulation.
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A lions share of the bags used at the Farmers Market in Frankfort and Louisville are reusable cloth type , brought and cared for by the customers at these markets. Some will bring the tiniest balls of light weight, reusable , inexpensive netting type bags that they pull out of their pockets like magicians that open into an enormous large volume carrier! ( kinda like those rain coats that fold up and fit in a pocket ) I find those customers as quite clever. My dear ol’ 89 year old Momma , to this day , has reusable bags in her car trunk , to use grocery shopping ( my sister takes her once a week )
I’ve used canvas bags for 15 years, it’s really not that hard of a habit to get into. I can put all my groceries into about 5 canvas bags as opposed to 25+ plastic bags it would take.
5 cents won’t prohibit most, only the lowest income. New York City has zero plastic bags. If you don’t bring your own you have to purchase a reusable bag. People learn real quick to bring there own.
Brave moves make waves but ultimately make the biggest difference. Just my opinion
Yes Diane, your right . We must protect our worlds green space , environment and ecology. And it will take even more than stopping the use of wasteful plastic bags . We have to stop the use of our renewable resources , that are being destroyed, faster than they grow back plus burning fossil fuel by the eccentric wealthy such as Elon Musk and his senseless rockets launched thru our atmosphere, destroying it .
You know what? We have to stop out of control urban sprawl by greedy capitalistic industries, developers, bankers and realtors , too, seeking monetary gains at the expense of our children’s world .
https://www.grove.co/blog/plastic-recycling-is-a-myth
This email was sent to the Board of Commissioners on September 30th 2022:
I do agree that they are a nuisance and need to be addressed, but instead of raising taxes, here is an unconventional solution without raising taxes.
This is an absolute best case scenario with 100 percent compliance by every citizen, including children, in the City of Frankfort:
Population: 29,218
Each individual recycling 5 plastic bags a week
Total bags recycled: 146,090/week
Total weight of bags: 1826 pounds
Obviously, there will not be 100 percent compliance, so these numbers are wildly exaggerated; however, this is a solution that is simple and cheap!
We offer this as another recycling item; the bags are compressed, put on a pallet, then delivered to Kroger/Wal-Mart., Since consumers can already deliver their bags now, this allows those retailers to promote this service and save on labor costs because the bags are already packaged.
Sounds crazy but sometimes we need to break away from the norm.
I am trying to understand your point, but you are correct in that your numbers are wildly exaggerated. I thought that compliance on returning bags is 1-3%. How can this possibly offer a simple and cheap solution?
Plastics are much more than just a nuisance, as when the break down and enter the environment, we are all exposed to microplastics and the chemical additives they contain. Recent studies have found microplastics in human blood, lungs, and placenta. They are in the fish that we eat. Recycling plastic is a myth.
Sadly, engineers can’t perfect biodegradable plastic( still made from fossil fuels) from contaminating our planet with micro plastics. Engineers have developed a “ bio plastic “ from plant based “ biomass , but it has problems biodegrading in land fills and isn’t good for marine life either . It does compost, in conventional methods, but land fills aren’t design to break down anything - no air circulation.
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State-Journal.com’s comments forum is for civil, constructive dialogue about news topics in our community, state, nation and world. We emphasize “civil” at a time when Americans, in the words of the current president, need to “turn down the temperature” of political debates. The State Journal will do its part by more carefully policing this forum. Here are some rules that all commenters must agree to follow:
Absolutely no attacks on other commenters, on guest columnists or on authors of letters to the editor. Our print and online opinion pages are sacred marketplaces of ideas where diverse viewpoints are welcome without fear of retribution. You may constructively critique the ideas and opinions of others, but name-calling, stereotyping and similar attacks are strictly prohibited.
Leeway will be given for criticism of elected officials and other public figures, but civility is essential. If you focus your criticism on ideas, opinions and viewpoints, you will be less likely to run afoul of our commenting rules.
Keep comments focused on the article or commentary in question. Don’t use an article about the Frankfort City Commission, for example, to rant about national politics.
Hyperpartisanship that suggests anyone on the other side of an issue or anyone in a particular particular party is evil is not welcome. If you believe that all Democrats are socialists intent on destroying America or that all Republicans are racists, there are lots of places on the internet for you to espouse those views. State-Journal.com is not one.
No sophomoric banter. This isn’t a third-grade classroom but rather a place for serious consumers of news to offer their reactions and opinions on news stories and published commentary.
No consumer complaints about individual businesses. If you’ve had a bad experience with a private business or organization, contact the Better Business Bureau or the government agency that regulates that business. If you believe the actions of a private business are newsworthy, contact us at news@state-journal.com and we will consider whether news coverage is merited.
Absolutely no jokes or comments about a person’s physical appearance.
No promotion of commercial goods or services. Our outstanding staff of marketing consultants stands ready to help businesses with effective advertising solutions.
If you state facts that have not been previously reported by The State Journal, be sure to include the source of your information.
No attacks on State Journal staff members or contributing writers. We welcome questions about, and criticism of, our news stories and commentary but not of the writers who work tirelessly to keep their community informed. Corrections of inaccurate information in news stories should be sent to news@state-journal.com rather than posted in the comments section.