Dive Brief:
- Philadelphia’s leaders recently shot down a proposal to charge a nickel per bag tax on single-use plastic bags, but the problem of recycling these ever-accumulating bags remains.
- Last year California banned plastic bags, and many cities in the U.S. now regulate single-use plastic bags. Chicago recently passed a ban on the bags, which will begin to be enforced in August.
- Approximately 12% of the plastic bags produced for use in this country are recycled each year, according to Phil Rozenski, director of marketing and sustainability at Novolex.
Dive Insight:
Single-use plastic bags are problematic for communities that want to decrease waste and pollution. The bags often end up in waterways where they harm the water and wildlife.
Communities such as Dallas, TX, which recently passed a nickel per bag tax on plastic bags can see lawsuits because of such efforts to minimize this type of waste. But like e-waste, which is difficult to recycle, plastic bags also fall into this category.
They are frequently put in recycling bins and end up gumming up recycling machinery. A solution might be to hold producers of the single-use bags responsible for the waste, as is done in some states with manufacturers of e-waste, by requiring them to fund programs to buy back the bags so they are recycled.
