Its In The Bag

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Its In The Bag!
Presentation Prepared by Phil Mann, WV SWMB
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Plastic Bags CNN Video
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Plastic Bags Types of Bags
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Plastic Bags Current Uses
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WV is Part of the Composite Lumber Loop

• Each year approximately 25,000,000 pounds of
  bundled plastic bags from all over the United
  States are temporarily warehoused in West
  Virginia before being recycled into new products
  at a plant in Winchester, Virginia.
• These plastic bags comprise up to 50 of the raw
  material feedstock used by Trex Manufacturing to
  make Composite Lumber Materials including
  decking, railing, fencing and trim.

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Plastic Bags Litter
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Options to Managing Plastic Bags/Litter

• Use paper or compostable bags
• Ban the bags
• Tax the bags
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle plastic bags.

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Plastic Bags A World View

• Ireland has imposed a surcharge of 0.32 a bag on
  plastic bags. They think this has reduced usage
  by as much as 90
• Switzerland s plastic bag program requires
  retail clients to pay a fee for plastic bags.
  They have a tax of 0.31 for the bigger, stronger
  plastic bags.
• China imposes a country wide ban on the thinnest
  bags and a tax on thicker bags and they claim the
  ban will save 37 million barrels of oil per year

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Plastic Bags A World View(Continued)

• Italy and Belgium collect tax on plastic bags
• Taiwan and the cities of Dhaka, Bangladesh and
  Mumbai, India ban plastic bags to prevent storm
  induced drain clogs
• Australia, about 90 percent of retailers have
  signed up with the government's voluntary program
  to reduce plastic bag use.

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Plastic Bags A US Perspective

• The states of California and Illinois have
  enacted plastic bag legislation
• The cities of San Francisco and Oakland,
  California ban plastic bags
• Seattle, Washington enacts a Green Fee on
  disposable shopping bags at the rate of 0.20 per
  bag

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Plastic Bags A US Perspective (Continued)

• The city of Phoenix, Arizona initiates a
  take-back program which works on a voluntary
  basis to encourage retailers to collect plastic
  bags
• The states of New York, New Jersey, Maryland and
  several others are considering various types of
  programs for plastic bags.

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Plastic Bags California

• In 2006, California enacted AB2449, which
  requires retailers to set up recycling programs
  for plastic bags
• The bill requires all plastic carryout bags
  provided by stores to have printed on the bag,
  the words "Please Return to a Participating Store
  for Recycling
• At least one collection bin must be placed at
  each store for the purpose of collecting and
  recycling plastic carryout bags
• Stores must make reusable bags available to
  customers which may be purchased and used in lieu
  of a plastic carryout bag or paper bag

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Plastic Bags California(Continued)

• The stores must maintain records for a minimum of
  three years describing the collection, transport,
  and recycling of plastic bags and make these
  records available to state and local officials
• A city, county, or the state may impose civil
  liability in the amount of five hundred dollars
  (500) for the first violation of the Statute,
  one thousand dollars (1,000) for the second
  violation, and two thousand dollars (2,000) for
  the third and subsequent violation for those who
  do not comply with the Statute.

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Plastic Bags San Francisco

• San Francisco Environment Code, Chapter
• 17, Sections 1701-1709, Plastic Bag Reduction
• Ordinance
• All Stores shall provide only the following as
  checkout bags to customers recyclable paper
  bags, and/or compostable plastic bags, and/or
  reusable bags
• Violation of the requirements shall subject a
  Store to penalties

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Plastic Bags San Francisco(Continued)

• (a)Any store that violates the Ordinance shall be
  punished by (1) a fine not exceeding 100.00 for
  a first violation, (2) a fine not exceeding
  200.00 for a second violation within the same
  year, and (3) a fine not exceeding 500.00 for
  each additional violation within the same year.

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Plastic Bags Illinois

• Illinois SB303 passed on August 17, 2007 and
  requires retailers that distribute plastic bags
  to consumers to implement a plastic bag
  collection and recycling program
• SB303 establishes a pilot program in Lake County,
  Illinois to be monitored by a legislative task
  force called the Plastic Bag Recycling Task
  Force.

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Plastic Bags Illinois(Continued)

• Retailers participating in the pilot program
  must   
•       
• Implement a plastic bag collection program
  that facilitates the return and recycling of
  plastic bags distributed to their consumers  
•        
• Provide a clearly marked receptacle for the
  collection of plastic bags that is in a
  convenient location for that retailer's
  consumers and  
•        
• Arrange for the pick-up, transport, and
  recycling of plastic bags deposited in the
  collection receptacles.

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Plastic Bags Oakland

• Oakland Municipal Code, Chapter 8.11, Non-
  compostable
• Plastic Carryout Bags
• Affected retail establishments are prohibited
  from providing plastic carryout bags to their
  customers at the point of sale
• Reusable bags, recyclable paper bags, and
  compostable plastic bags are allowed
  alternatives
• Affected retail establishments are strongly
  encouraged to provide incentives for the use of
  reusable bags through the use of education and
  credits, rebates, or tokens for individuals who
  bring reusable bags

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Plastic Bags Oakland(Continued)

• A fine, payable by the owner of the affected
  retail establishment or the corporation itself,
  not exceeding one hundred dollars (100.00) for
  the first violation after the warning notice is
  given. A fine not exceeding two hundred dollars
  (200.00) for the second violation after the
  warning notice is given. A fine not exceeding
  five hundred dollars (500.00) for the third and
  any future violations after the warning notice is
  given.

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Plastic Bags Seattle

• Seattle establishes a green fee, advanced
  recovery
• fee for disposable shopping bags
• Identified retailers are to collect a twenty
  cent, (0.20) advanced recovery fee, for each
  disposable shopping bag provided to customers,
• All identified stores are to indicate on the
  customers receipt , the number of bags provided
  and charges,

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Plastic Bags Seattle (Continued)

• Identified stores with gross sales of less than
  1,000,000, may keep the fee to cover
  administrative cost, stores with more than
  1,000,000 in gross sales remit 75 to the city
  
• Fees collected by the city are used to support
  solid waste prevention and recycling programs
• The fine for noncompliance is up to 250 plus
  statutory assessments.

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Plastic Bags Phoenix

• Phoenix is implementing a voluntary take-back
• program which encourages retailers to collect and
• recycle plastic bags
• To encourage the use of reusable shopping bags,
  the City of Phoenix provided its grocers with
  30,000 cloth bags distributed to approximately 85
  stores

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Plastic Bags Phoenix(Continued)
The Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Message
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Plastic Bags Phoenix(Continued)

• Phoenix residents have an opportunity to recycle
  bags at prominent displays at the entrances of
  their local grocery store under the sign Bag
  Central Station. The bags will be recycled into
  new plastic bags and building material
• The City of Phoenix partners with the Arizona
  Food Marketing Alliance, the Arizona Retailers
  Association, and the carry-out restaurant
  industry in a partnership that uses education and
  marketing to promote the program and overall
  recycling message throughout the community,
  schools and neighborhood associations.

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Plastic Bags Phoenix(Continued)

• Customer Survey conducted October 2007 and April
  2008
• 12 increase in the number of respondents that
  said they use cloth bags at grocery store (8 to
  20)
• 12 decrease that use plastic bags (87 to 75)
• Awareness of plastic bag issues, 80
• Awareness of Bag Central Station was high.

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Plastic Bags Pending Legislation

• Hawaii HB2177 would require retailers in the
  State to distribute only recyclable, reusable, or
  compostable checkout bags
• Maine will debate legislation placing a 20 cent
  fee on each plastic shopping bag. The sponsor
  hopes the legislation will spur production of
  bags made from bio-based plastics using Maine
  potatoes
• New Hampshire legislators have filed HCR217 which
  endorses the Kids for a Cooler Planet campaign to
  help address the issue of global climate change
  by reducing the use of disposable shopping bags
  and encouraging the widespread use of reusable
  shopping bags

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Plastic Bags Pending Legislation(Continued)

• New Jersey, AB1326 would require every retail
  store operator to establish an in-store recycling
  program that provides an opportunity for
  customers to return clean plastic carryout bags.
  The bill would require a plastic carryout bag
  provided by a store to have specified information
  printed or displayed on the bag, and would
  require the placement of a plastic carryout bag
  collection bin in each store that is readily
  visible and easily accessible to the consumer.
  All plastic bags collected by the store must be
  transported and recycled
• New York legislation reintroduced in 2008 would
  require operators of retail stores to establish
  at-store recycling programs that provide
  opportunities for customers to return clean
  plastic carryout bags

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Plastic Bags Pending Legislation (Continued)

• Virginia, HB1524 would allow any locality to ban
  plastic bags for carryout items unless the
  plastic carryout bag is a durable plastic bag,
  with handles, that is at least 2.25 mils thick
  and is specifically designed and manufactured for
  multiple reuse
• Virginia, HJR169, requests the Department of
  Environmental Quality to study policies to
  mitigate the negative effects of improperly
  disposed plastic bags and to report to the
  legislature on its findings
• Washington, HB2424, would require grocery stores
  to provide only checkout bags made of recyclable
  paper, compostable plastic, reusable
  machine-washable textile materials, or reusable
  plastic.

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Plastic Bags West Virginia

• West Virginians use an estimated 594,000,000
• disposable plastic shopping bags annually.
• This amounts to an estimated 4,500,000 lbs. of
  potentially recyclable plastic per year.

Estimates are based on data from the Wall Street
Journal indicating the US disposes of an
estimated 100 billion plastic shopping bags
yearly and a US Census Bureau 2006 population
estimate for West Virginia of 1,812,035 people.
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Plastic Bags Kanawha County, West Virginia

• In 2007, the eleven Kroger stores in Kanawha
  County
• recycled 1,688.49 tons of plastic bags.
• Since January 2008, the Kanawha County Solid
  Waste
• Authority has shipped almost 30 tons of plastic
  bags to
• be recycled. The bags are currently valued at
  0.08 cents a
• pound or 160 per ton.

Kanawha County information, courtesy of Cubert
Smith, Ph.D., Kanawha County Solid Waste
Authority.
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Awareness and Creative Reuse
Winner of the 2007 Recycles/Reuse Fashion Show
held at the Charleston Town Center Mall. This
dress was made from reused and recycled plastic
bags by a group of students at Brooke County High
School.
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Questions?
West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board 601
57th Street, SE Charleston, WV 25304 Phone
304-926-0448
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Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT)
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Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT)

• In communities with pay-as-you-throw programs
• (also known as unit pricing or variable-rate
• pricing), residents are charged for the
  collection of
• municipal solid wasteordinary household
• trashbased on the amount they throw away.

Source US EPA
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Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) Pros

• Equity. PAYT programs are fair customers who use
  more service pay more
• Lack of Restrictions. PAYT does not restrict
  customer choices. Customers are not banned from
  putting out additional garbage but those who
  want to put out more will pay more
• Efficiency. Variable-rate programs are generally
  inexpensive to implement and, unlike recycling
  programs, do not require additional pick-up
  trucks. Also, volume-based rates encourage
  customers to use only the amount of service they
  need

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Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) Pros(Continued)

• Waste Reduction. Unlike recycling programs alone,
  which only encourage recycling, PAYT rewards all
  behaviors recycling, composting, and source
  reductionthat reduce the amount of garbage
  thrown away
• Environmental Benefits. Because they encourage
  increased recycling and waste reduction, PAYT
  programs are broadly beneficial to the
  environment.

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Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) Cons

• Illegal dumping Research shows illegal dumping
  is a problem in about 20 of communities. PAYT
  programs should make sure to introduce methods
  for getting rid of occasional bulky materials
  through stickers, payments, appointments, or
  other methods
• Concerns about large families or the poor Large
  families pay more for groceries, water, and other
  services they use more than smaller households,
  and PAYT basically extends this to trash service,

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Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) Cons(Continued)

• Revenue uncertainties The number of bags or cans
  of trash set out decreases dramatically with PAYT
  due to reduced disposal AND stomping or
  compaction. Communities and haulers implementing
  PAYT need to adjust their expectations about the
  number of set outs in order to assure they cover
  the fixed costs of collecting solid waste

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Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) A Case Study, Cummings
Collection (Continued)

• Cummings Collection is a waste hauling business
  based in Putnam County, WV
• Cummings was serving 6,000 to 7,000 residential
  customers when the PAYT program was implemented
  in the mid 1990s
• Bags that were purchased for disposal were
  overloaded, weights ranged from 50 to 100 lbs.
  According to a 1997 waste characterization study
  by the SWMB, the average weight of a bag of
  garbage in West Virginia is 9.89 lbs.

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Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) A Case Study, Cummings
Collection(Continued)

• Bag distribution was a problem
• Customers would carry excess trash to commercial
  trash containers (dumpsters) rather than pay for
  the bag
• Comparison showed that Cummings was collecting
  almost the same amount of trash overall, but only
  collected revenue from the bags. The haulers cost
  to provide service was not recouped

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Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) A Case Study, Cummings
Collection, (Continued)

• Problems arose with items that would not fit in
  bags, such as boxes etc. Some customers did not
  want to use bags for these items and would take
  these items to commercial containers and
  illegally dispose of them
• Recycling of items for Cummings was a problem.
  Most customers did not separate materials, thus
  Cummings had to separate.

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Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) Contiguous States
Source US EPA
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Questions?

• West Virginia Solid Waste Management Board
• 601 57th Street, SE
• Charleston, WV 25304
• Phone [phone]