San Francisco decided on Tuesday that it would be the first city in the United States to ban plastic bags. While they are not the first group of people in the States to have done so (there are a handful of Native communities in Alaska who have banned these bags a while ago), it is certainly the first city in the United States to take this stand. I’m interested to see how it goes, because I think they could prove inspirational for other large cities who perhaps doubt whether or not a ban could work on a large scale.

And close to home, the Leaf Rapids by-law is effective on April 2nd. Rossland, BC will most likely follow close behind with a ban as well. If this keeps up, I’m going to have to blog every day to keep you all updated! (It’s ok… it’s the good kind of busy.)

Leaf Rapids, a town in the north of Manitoba, Canada, is set to be the first city in Canada to ban plastic bags. The first reading of the Bill was yesterday, with the second and third to come in the next week, with the law to be effective April 2nd. How do I know all of this? Because I’m thrilled to have played a part in making it happen.

You see, here’s how it works. InStore Products Ltd. sponsored this initiative in Leaf Rapids. We wanted to play a large role in taking a stand on plastic bags, because through our Bring Your Own Bag program as well as our Greenbox program, we’ve been doing this for years now. So we worked together with the administrators of the Town of Leaf Rapids to make it happen. This initiative, I’d like to point out, is less about “being the first” and more about taking a positive stance and setting a great example for future communities looking to follow suit. Leaf Rapids boasts an absolutely breathtaking landscape and they are doing everything that they can to preserve it.

So that’s what we’ve been up to for the last little bit. Since the first reading was last night, the story is breaking today. For now, I’ll link you to the Globe and Mail’s coverage of this, but in the coming days I’ll alert you to all the media that this story is receiving.

It’s all happening…!

India and Pakistan are currently struggling with plastic bag legislation, but each is taking a different approach. In Karachi (Pakistan), there is an existing ban on plastic bags, but the city officials are looking at new measures to ensure that there is no sale or transportation of the bags. They want to make sure that the ban stays put.

Meanwhile, over in India, the officials in New Delhi have temporarily given up their efforts to seek a plastic bag ban (though there’s already a ban in place on all bags under 30 microns thick). Hopefully they’ll re-open the issue sometime soon, because most of India’s neighbours are way ahead of them on this issue. Maybe peer pressure works…?

Despite the fact that the vote on the plastic grocery bag ban in San Francisco was delayed on Thursday, it was the good kind of delayed – they needed more time to examine whether they wanted to include large pharmacies in the legislation. This article pretty much reads like a timeline of the bag issue in San Francisco, from the plastics lobbyists to where they stand now. I really recommend reading it; it’s very well-written. I don’t know why, but I really have a good feeling about good ol’ San Fran this time…

Just when we thought the plastic bag issue was closed in the lovely city of San Francisco, we find out that the mayor and some councillors still support a ban on the bags. I thought they were just mulling over the possibility of a TAX?! Well a ban is twice as great! I remember how disappointed I was when the state of California passed legislation stating that in the near future, all plastic bags distributed had to be compostable. Disappointed for a number of reasons, but mainly because it doesn’t reduce the number of bags distributed at all, but also because it meant that the plastic lobbyists were winning. But a ban! Well this has “potential” written all over it… stay tuned!

Two corners of the world have announced a ban on plastic bags, though only one of them is effective immediately. Kozhikode, a region in India, announced today that there would be a ban on all plastic bags thinner than 30 microns. And in the Walloon region of Belgium, there is a ban on distribution effective in 2010.

PLEASE correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this the first plastic bag ban in the European Union? I know of taxes in various countries but I believe this is the first comprehensive ban. One small step for Belgium, one giant leap for the environment, I guess…

I’m trying to sort out how I feel about this – an Italian farming association is lobbying the EU to replace all plastic bags in the EU with biodegradable ones by the year 2010.

I’m a little bit torn on this issue because while I’m very much in favour of supporting the Italian farming economy (obviously these bags would be a little bit more labour-intensive to produce and rely on farming, which non-biodegradable plastic bags do not.) HOWEVER – isn’t it a little bit counter-intuitive to lobby the EU to essentially maintain the number of plastic bags being produced and distributed and used? Wouldn’t a more effective lobbying tool be reduction measures? I mean, the farming community would be involved even if they were lobbying to implement measures to phase in reusable bags – so I find it difficult to imagine just a straight replacement initiative…

I think biodegradable bags are great – don’t get me wrong. I just think that bags that don’t get thrown into the waste stream are better, that’s all.