By Erin Hass, Director, ARPBA Every time you step into a grocery store, you’re lucky to be faced with a hundred small choices. Cart or basket. Name-brand cereal or generic. Organic produce or conventional. All these decisions are part of the freedom of grocery shopping and represent what makes the experience unique to each consumer. […]
The Washington Post: California’s Harebrained Plastic Bag Ban
More evidence that states should focus on market-oriented solutions to environmental problems. California’s leaders like to think of themselves as setting an example for the country. Their first-in-the-nation ban on single-use plastic bags certainly led the way — although it functions more as a cautionary tale than a model of prudence. Dog owners might find […]
National Review: The Humiliating Failure of Washington State’s Plastic Bag Ban
Lawmakers favored political posturing rather than data. By Jason Rantz Washington State lawmakers promised that banning single-use plastic bags would reduce waste, conserve resources, and protect wildlife. Instead, their virtue-signaling law has produced a humiliating series of unintended consequences that make the problem worse, while sticking retailers and consumers with the bill. The state’s own report admits […]
Gov. Youngkin (VA): “Plastic bag taxes fail to achieve their intended goals and burden Virginians with higher prices at the grocery store”
Commonsense Prevails in VA: Governor Youngkin, in a recent veto against a plastic bag tax-related measure, notes the truth about these price hikes on consumers: “[They] fail to achieve their intended goals and burden Virginians with higher prices at the grocery store”: (HB1764) GOVERNOR’S VETO Pursuant to Article V, Section 6 of the Constitution of […]
Erie-Times News: Single-use plastic bags, banned from Erie Giant Eagle stores 3 years ago, have returned
Back to Plastic Update: Giant Eagle will resume using recyclable plastic film bags at all its Erie County, PA, locations. With shoppers struggling to comply with unrealistic bag policies, we applaud this commonsense move. Read more here: Plastic bags are back at all four Giant Eagle stores in Erie County. The bags, which were eliminated as an option […]
Supreme Court decision creates uncertainty for Bozeman plastics ban
Bozeman voters supported a ban on single-use plastics in the November election by nearly a two-to-one margin, but a Montana Supreme Court ruling released Wednesday puts the measure in some jeopardy. The Bozeman Plastics Ordinance proposed a ban on businesses providing single-use plastic bags and styrofoam containers to customers to go into effect in May 2025. After […]
FORBES: California-Style Bag Ban On The Ballot In Bozeman
The bag ban on the ballot in Bozeman, regardless of the outcome, could spark greater interest in state preemption laws that prevent locally-imposed regulations and taxes. In Montana, a red state where Republicans control the legislature and the Governor’s mansion, voters are poised to help the GOP take control of the U.S. Senate this November. […]
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: A Plastic Bag Ban to Fix California’s Bag Ban?
By The Editorial Board California is known for its ban-first-ask-questions-later approach to problems. In 2014, it was the first state to pass a comprehensive ban on single-use plastic bags. Whoops, plastic in the garbage went up, not down. Naturally, California politicians now think this justifies another new ban on carryout bags that will further inconvenience […]
Bozeman & Missoula (Montana) Ballot Initiatives to Ban Single-Use Plastics, Grocery Bags Fail to Meet Signature Threshold
The American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance released a statement in response to the news that proposed ballot initiatives to ban single-use plastic bags in Bozeman and Missoula failed to qualify due to a lack of signatures. “This is a win for working families across Montana. These proposals under consideration were overly broad and would have […]
California’s proposed bag ban is a new tax on marginalized Californians
Julian Cañete serves as the president and CEO of the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce. READ THE FULL COLUMN AT THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER In 2016, Californians voted to ban single-use plastic bags. This year, measures in the California State Senate and Assembly have been introduced to again ban plastic bags, but this time they will […]
FORBES: The Unintended Consequences of California’s War on Plastic Bags
The problem with policy is policy. This is easily forgotten by both Democrats and Republicans promising utopia via legislation. Think California’s policymaking in the area of plastic bags. The Golden State was the first one to ban “single use plastic bags” at grocery stores back in 2014. Customers subsequently had the “choice” of purchasing an […]
NBC (Pittsburgh-WPIX): Plastic bag ban may not mean less pollution, recent study says
Watch News Segment As Allegheny County considers a plastic bag ban, we wanted to dig deeper into a recent study. Researchers looked at the impact of New Jersey’s statewide ban, which started in 2022. They concluded that, while people used fewer bags, plastic consumption tripled. In February, national headlines read New Jersey’s plastic bag ban […]