plastic bags

First and foremost, thanks to everyone who came out to Frankford Hall last evening for Nerd Nite Philly! Although we thought we'd have more time to share the details of what's going on, we're happy to bring you up to date. Next month in October, legislation for a small (5 cent) single-use bag fee (ie, plastic or paper) will be introduced in City Council. Sponsored by Council member Mark Squilla, we also have 4 co-sponsors of the bill and are hoping for more. Any money collected from the bill will go to help fund schools, which are significantly underfunded. Learn more about the legislation and see a recap of Nerd Nite Philly after the jump!

Our friend at the Clean Air Council Logan Welde talked plastic bags (and the pros/cons of fees versus bans) this morning on Wisconsin Public Radio's Joy Cardin Show. Welde knows

You probably know our love of hating single use bags. PennFuture was nice enough to let me guest post about why they're bad for Philly and what we can do. After all, "Since 2009, many U.S. cities – including L.A., San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C., Austin, Portland, Aspen AND the Hawaiian islands have all either passed plastic bag fees or bans. Entire countries including South Africa, Ireland, Oman, Ethiopia, China and France have either implemented fees or bans. So what’s the holdup for Philly – and the U.S.?" Read the article on our friend PennFuture's blog in its entirety:

Dear Non-Recycler, This morning I was in a fabulous mood. Nothing extraordinary happened, minus the fact I was able to do some cleaning and throw the ball around with my cat for a few minutes before work. Then, I saw it. A plastic bag. In. The. Trashcan.

Happy Friday, friends! We have a return to our Friday link roundups since there's too much to cover by one little (green philly) blog:

Hate plastic bags getting caught in trees and littering our streets? We have great news to share: Logan Welde, Staff Attorney of the Clean Air Council will be on WHYY Radio Times (90.9 FM)  to discuss plastic bags and our proposed legislation, today from 11 AM - 12 PM. I've been working with Logan for almost a year on these efforts (like at Greenfest 2012) and he is a passionate, intelligent guy. It will be a great broadcast. Inquirer columnist Sandy Bauers also published our open letter to City Council this morning to coincide. Logan will be debating Hilex Poly, which is the biggest plastic bag manufacturer in the US (and a part of the American Progressive Bag Alliance). Many people have been asking: So what has been going on with plastic bags?

Happy New Year! As I stated on MNN, one of my new years resolution is to help pass Philadelphia reduce plastic bags. It's easy: we want common sense legislation to encourage reusable bags and discourage single bag use. How can you help and get involved to reduce plastic bags?

Did you know that those "free" plastic bags are embedded in your grocery checkout bill? And that each plastic bag you use costs you an estimated $.17 in taxes? Whether you reuse, trash or recycle those plastic bags, you're still paying an estimated $85 dollars each year for the Philly Water Department to clean plastic bags out of our waterways. Plus, those plastic bags (like diamonds) are never ever (like ever) going away. Even in the landfill, they'll keep your takeout and old flowers perfectly preserved. And often times, they end up in the oceans, killing wildlife and littering our lands. The good news? The solution is a LOT easier than we think.

There's a lot of talk about plastic pollution in our oceans and by plastic bags, but what is anyone doing about it? The 5 Gyres Institute is launching a Last Straw Plastic Pollution Solutions Outreach Tour, conducting beach & watershed cleanups all over the East Coast from Boston to Charleston. The 1400 mile bike tour is hitting up major cities to discuss problems (and solutions!) for the plastic plague. The 5 Gyres tour is coming to Philly on October 15 - and you won't be bummed out by their visit. (Find out more about the awesome upcoming visit and how YOU can win free stuff, after the jump!)