A Resolution to Support Plastic Bag Bans
WHEREAS, the Washington State Legislature in RCW 70.95.010(8)(a) established waste reduction as the first priority for the collection, handling, and management of solid waste; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Legislature in RCW 70.95.010(4) found that it is “necessary to change manufacturing and purchasing practices and waste generation behaviors to reduce the amount of waste that becomes a governmental responsibility”; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Legislature in RCW 70.95.010(6)(c) found that it is the responsibility of city and county governments “to assume primary responsibility for solid waste management and to develop and implement aggressive and effective waste reduction and source separation strategies”; and
WHEREAS, single-use plastic carryout bags are made of nonrenewable resources and plastic never biodegrades and only breaks down into smaller and smaller particles which seep into soils or are carried into rivers and lakes, Puget Sound and the world’s oceans posing a threat to animal life and the natural food chain; and
WHEREAS, even though single-use paper carryout bags are made from renewable resources and are less of a litter and particularly marine litter problem than single-use plastic carryout bags, they nevertheless require significant resources to manufacture, transport and recycle or dispose of; and
WHEREAS, to prevent waste generation it is in everyone’s interest to discourage the use of single-use, throw-away items of all types which can be accomplished through price signals; and
WHEREAS, to reduce the use of plastic and paper carryout bags, it is necessary to regulate such use; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the health, safety and welfare of the people that regulation require a pass-through charge on the use of recyclable paper carryout bags in order to encourage greater use of reusable bags, to reduce the cost of solid waste disposal, and to protect the environment; and
WHEREAS, the City of Kirkland approved Ordinance 4477 that lead to the institution of a plastic bag ban and full size paper bag charge on March 1st 2016;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we the, 45th District Democrats, call for the cities of Duvall, Redmond, Sammamish, and Woodinville to implement a single-use plastic bag ban and a large paper bag charge.
Adopted 5/2/2018 by the 45th District Democrats. Resolution modeled after City of Seattle Ordinance 123775.
