Austin may limit use of plastic shopping bags
Statesman.com
Paper or plastic? Austinites may not hear that question as frequently
when they shop if the City Council moves forward on plans to limit or
ban plastic bags in stores.
The council on Thursday will discuss passing a resolution to find ways to limit the use of plastic bags by large stores. If the resolution passes, city administrators would have 90 days to analyze strategies, said City Council Member Lee Leffingwell...
Plastic bags are nonbiodegradable and often end up in landfills or clogging sewers, Leffingwell said. At least 1,000 tons of plastic bags end up in the Austin landfill each year, he estimated using San Francisco's figures. That city sends 1,400 tons of plastic bags to its landfill annually. Plus, it takes 430,000 gallons of crude oil to make 100 million plastic bags, said Leffingwell, using figures from the Worldwatch Institute.
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