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From the Fairbanks News-Miner ...
Bill would put 15-cent fee on shopping bags
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- Alaska shoppers would pay 15-cent fees on plastic shopping bags, under a bill aiming to alleviate the burden of waste on landfills and the environment.
The fees would go toward a recycling and litter cleanup fund appropriated yearly by the state Legislature.
The measure is about more than a few cents a bag, said State Sen. Kim Elton, D-Juneau, who sponsored the bill.
"The real purpose is plastic bags and trying to reduce the use," he said. "It is a way to spark kind of a cultural change here because there is a real issue with plastics."
Plastic bags are not biodegradable but break down into smaller and smaller toxic pieces that can contaminate soil and waterways, according to Elton's proposal and a companion bill in the state House.
"They are everywhere," said Rep. Andrea Doll, D-Juneau, sponsor of the House bill. "They are flying in the landfills. They are flying out of there with the winds. They are in the oceans."
The fee is modeled after a similar program in Ireland, where the use of plastic bags fell by 90 percent following the implementation of the tax.
"It is anticipated the Alaska experience will be similar to the Irish experience. If so, the state collection could raise up to $1.8 million annually," the companion bills state.
Elton and Doll said implementing a fee was more likely to get support than a total ban.
"People can choose to use a plastic bag, but they know there is a fee assessed against it," Elton said.
The fee might be too cumbersome to be practical, said Juneau Chamber of Commerce President Jim Becker.
"It would be very disruptive (to businesses). All of a sudden you've got a tax on bags," he said.
Melinda Merrill, a Fred Meyer spokeswoman, agreed, but added that the retailer has not taken an official stance. Fred Meyer recently began offering reusable bags in its stores for 99 cents apiece.
Dave Ottoson, owner of Rainbow Foods, supports the fee. He said 15 to 20 percent of his customers already bring in their own bags to carry groceries and other products from the downtown Juneau store.
Bill sponsors don't believe there's enough time for the proposal to be passed this year.
"This is such a big paradigm change, it is going to take a little bit longer," Elton said.
Bill would put 15-cent fee on shopping bags
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- Alaska shoppers would pay 15-cent fees on plastic shopping bags, under a bill aiming to alleviate the burden of waste on landfills and the environment.
The fees would go toward a recycling and litter cleanup fund appropriated yearly by the state Legislature.
The measure is about more than a few cents a bag, said State Sen. Kim Elton, D-Juneau, who sponsored the bill.
"The real purpose is plastic bags and trying to reduce the use," he said. "It is a way to spark kind of a cultural change here because there is a real issue with plastics."
Plastic bags are not biodegradable but break down into smaller and smaller toxic pieces that can contaminate soil and waterways, according to Elton's proposal and a companion bill in the state House.
"They are everywhere," said Rep. Andrea Doll, D-Juneau, sponsor of the House bill. "They are flying in the landfills. They are flying out of there with the winds. They are in the oceans."
The fee is modeled after a similar program in Ireland, where the use of plastic bags fell by 90 percent following the implementation of the tax.
"It is anticipated the Alaska experience will be similar to the Irish experience. If so, the state collection could raise up to $1.8 million annually," the companion bills state.
Elton and Doll said implementing a fee was more likely to get support than a total ban.
"People can choose to use a plastic bag, but they know there is a fee assessed against it," Elton said.
The fee might be too cumbersome to be practical, said Juneau Chamber of Commerce President Jim Becker.
"It would be very disruptive (to businesses). All of a sudden you've got a tax on bags," he said.
Melinda Merrill, a Fred Meyer spokeswoman, agreed, but added that the retailer has not taken an official stance. Fred Meyer recently began offering reusable bags in its stores for 99 cents apiece.
Dave Ottoson, owner of Rainbow Foods, supports the fee. He said 15 to 20 percent of his customers already bring in their own bags to carry groceries and other products from the downtown Juneau store.
Bill sponsors don't believe there's enough time for the proposal to be passed this year.
"This is such a big paradigm change, it is going to take a little bit longer," Elton said.
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