A recent report of Montreal banning plastic bags has sparked new discussion on the matter in Asheville. A petition, that had formerly closed with only about 10 percent its online goal met, has been reopened to draw support from the community. According to Cassie Whiteside, the effort had some success in gathering signatures the first time around with approximately 190 signatures, on paper, in addition to the hundred or so online, not all of which are valid (some are children for instance). Even Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer supported the movement with a signature.
The petition, called “I support a ban on plastic shopping bags in Asheville” is being promoted by a group calling themselves A Greener Day. The group of local activists started the petition in mid- 2014. ” It has fallen to the back burner for us so we haven’t been talking about it lately,” says Whiteside, “but renewed interest may bring it back as a priority!”
Authored by Kendra Sherrod, the petition reads:
Plastic shopping bags blow across our parking lots and public parks. They catch on tree limbs, block drains and flow down our rivers headed to larger bodies of water where they endanger wildlife and change the nature of our oceans.
Cities, big and small, across the US and several countries around the world (including China) have taxed or banned plastic shopping bags. A progressive town like Asheville should be at the forefront of this movement to choose the environment over petroleum-based disposable bags.
I support a ban on plastic shopping bags.
I wholeheartedly endorse this endeavor to ban plastic bags. As an airline pilot I travel a lot and what strikes me the most is how many plastic bags there are floating the streets and rivers of cities. It is a not so subtle indication that citizens don’t care. That’s not Asheville, we are better than that!
have you noticed all the other street trash and litter around here dropped by the locals ???
This should be a petition that everyone could support. It’s hard to see how there could be any negative posts about this.
Everyone should be able to support this petition. How can anyone be against it?
I am assuming that this is a rhetorical question.
If not, just wait. This page will be flooded with posts from the Flat Earth Society bemoaning “socialism” and attacks on “freedum” they claim this proposal represents.
THIS right-winger thought the switch from paper to plastic was wrong-minded to begin with. I carry re-usable bags with me and NEVER use plastic bags. They are too easily blown into the woods, take forever to biodegrade and use too much water to recycle. Paper bags biodegrade quickly and the trees used to make them are renewable resources which paper and lumber companies re-plant as they harvest. Replacing paper bags was a poorly researched, purely emotional decision by activists with more passion than knowledge.
Plastic bags are the least of your worries. At least they fall apart. Bottles and cans just sit there for years.