March 1, 2013 marked the day Austin’s Single-Use Carryout Bag Ordinance came to play. The ordinance bans single use disposable plastic and paper bags at all retailers in the city of Austin in an attempt to reduce plastic pollution (waste). Austin shoppers will have to bring their own reusable bag instead of receiving the standard free bags. Stores are to reinforce and provide customers with reusable bags.

“I think the change is good for the environment but it will take some time for my family and me getting used to bringing bags every time we go out grocery shopping,” senior Dominick Namis said. t doesn’t really bother my family and me unless we forget to bring our bags. We quickly turn around to get them.”

Austin is one of several other cities in the state of Texas, including Brownsville, Laguna Vista, South Padre Island and Fort Stockton, that have restrictions and fees on plastic bags.

In 2007, San Francisco banned plastic bags and Seattle established a plastic bag ban last summer. In Hawaii, plastic bags were banned county by county, until Hawaii as a whole effectively passed a ban on plastic bags. Even other countries banned plastic bags such as Italy, Republic of Ireland, France, Romania, Hong Kong and Bhutan.

The Single-Use Carryout Bag Ordinance discourages the handling of single use disposable plastic and/or paper bags, specifically the thin one-use plastic bags, due to the harmful effects it has on the environment such as releasing toxins and chemicals, generating litter, increasing landfill waste, clogging storm drains and creeks, and confusing wildlife by mistaking them as food.

Businesses may provide customers with a choice of cloth, paper or thick plastic handle bags. If paper handle bags are provided they must have at least 40 percent recycled content. Though for paper bags that are smaller than 8 inches wide and 14 inches tall, handles are not necessary. For plastic bags, they must be at least four millimeters thick and have handles. Businesses are not required to set a price for providing those bags, but they might for reusable bags.

“I find the bag ban to be very annoying,” said senior Lucas Bolton, “It’s a waste of time and effort because the world is deteriorating already and I don’t think that this is going to help stop it. To be honest, I don’t know much about it but either way plastic bags should be provided to customers as a free service. I’m not entirely annoyed because I’m not a regular shopper but when I do become one I think I would be.”

“It’s a good change because for so long people have been dependent on the single-use bags to hold their items and as a result created a lack of appreciation for the free bags,” sophomore Anthony Swink said. “There would be a lot less waste or plastic bags floating around in the sky due to this ordinance. Also, since the bags are single-use they just add up to the amount of unnecessary landfill waste and pollution or litter. That’s one reason why this ordinance is a good idea.”

Some plastic bag ban adversaires argue that the use of reusable bags will cause health problems because the bags hold food, and over time food rottage can occur, which results in unsanitary bags. But just like dishes, containers or anything else that is in contact with food, the bags can be washed.

A study funded by the American Chemistry Council (makers of single-use plastic bags), found “large numbers of bacteria” on tested bags. The same study found E. coli, a potentially harmful bacteria, on only 12 percent of the bags, but when researchers added meat juices and left bags in a car trunk for two hours, the bacteria increased tenfold. The study found that washing bags reduced the bacteria by more than 99.9 percent.

If successful, as in if Austin uses their reusable bags instead of the single use products, Austin will be able to reach its Zero Waste goal by 2040, which is a 90 percent reduction to what is sent to landfills.

For more information: http://bringitaustin.org/shoppers#block-views-tidbits-block

For facts about the effects of plastic bags and other places that have set plastic bag bans: http://www.factorydirectpromos.com/plastic-bag-bans

For ideas for diy reusable bags: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/austin-bans-single-use-bags.html?page=2

How to prepare and adjust to the bag ban: http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/12-26-12-12-54-bag-ban-on-the-horizon/