A local group in Bellingham, Washington, USA is proposing to ban plastic bags in the city.
Bellingham, Washington is located just north of Puget Sound on Bellingham Bay, approximately 50 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Surrounded By Water
Bellingham has water all around it, with the Bay on one side and Lake Whatcom on the east side. Lake Whatcom supplies the water for the city's 80,000 residents. There are many smaller lakes and wetland areas around the region. The Whatcom Creek gorge runs through the heart of the city.(1)
Bag It Bellingham is a grassroots effort formed by Brooks Anderson and Jill McIntire Witt. Their mission is to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags. They have engaged the help of Seth Fleetwood, a City Councilmember.
In talking with Ms. Anderson, she stated, "We have plans for a Citizen Awareness & Education Outreach throughout the community. We have drawn up the ordinance for the public to examine before presenting to City Council."
"The Ordinance has been submitted to the City Council but is not on the Agenda yet", stated Ms. Anderson.
There is currently a bill in the State of Washington Legislature to ban plastic and paper carryout bags. SB5780 would require retailers to provide only recycled, compostable, or reusble carryout bags. If passed, the bill will also negate any local bans and prevent other local bans from being enacted.
The City of Edmonds, Washington, 69 miles south of Bellingham, passed a plastic bag ban ordinance in 2009 and the law became effective on August 27, 2010.
"Bag It" Screening
Bag It Bellingham will host a premiere of the movie "Bag It" on April 1st in cooperation with AS Environmental Center of Western Washington University.
The group has created a website and a Facebook page for the movement.
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Source: (1) Wikipedia