On March 1st of this year, the city of Austin made an ordinance banning businesses within city limits to give out single use plastic bags, and instead may charge for bags (must be made of reused materials) or give out paper bags.There are several pros and cons to the ordinance.
Plastic bags are terrible for the environment. They can take from 20-1000 years to degrade, uses a ton of oil to make, ten percent end up in the ocean never to break down, and many are not recycled. The bag ban would lessen Austin's contribution to this issue. Reusable bags are more durable and carry more groceries, and restaurants can still use plastic bags for leftovers and whatnot. It also makes Austin unique and more environmentally sustainable.
However, this raises issues on government interference with daily life. How far is too far when it comes to regulation? Can a city just make a law without putting it through the state legislature? Another con is that if people don't wash their bags, this can lead to e.coli poisoning. Lastly, most people do reuse their plastic bags to line mini trashcans, use them to carry lunches/other things in, etc. Another argument is that it hurts businesses, as paper bags cost more to manufacture than plastic.
So while I support environmental sustainability and embrace using the reusable bags myself, the ordinance raises some questions on government interference and consumer and business rights. I am not sure the bag ban is going to last much longer, as there are already lawsuits pending and many consumer complaints.
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