Buenos Aires Passes Ban On Plastic Bags
The City of Buenos Aires last week took a giant step toward ecological sustainability by passing a law to ban the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags at supermarkets, gas stations, and other stores.
Legislators passed the bill unanimously. Part of the bill calls for a public awareness campaign to educate residents about the benefits of using – and re-using – their own biodegradable bags when shopping.
The law gives supermarkets up to four years to comply and stop using plastic bags.
Other businesses will get up to five years. Businesses that violate the law will face fines of up to 100,000 pesos, if caught.
With passage of this law, the City of Buenos Aires has once again shown itself to be far more proactive than the federal government on health and environmental issues. In 2006 the city passed a nearly complete ban on smoking, something the federal government has yet to do.
The City of San Francisco, in the U.S., banned plastic bags in 2007. Ireland slapped taxes on the bags earlier this decade and usage of them plummeted almost immediately.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Four years for supermarkets and 5 years for all others. That seems like an eternity. Remember the seat belt and moto helmit laws being enforced, not to long ago? In each case the crack down lasted about 2 weeks.
Granted that this is important, but what about the pollution and the noise in Buenos Aires? The pollution caused by buses, trucks and old cars is appalling! The noise coming from vehicle horns here is probably amongst the worst in the world. If only they could replace horns with direction signal, which so many of these noise makers seem to lack.
Years ago the then mayor of Buenos Aires (name unknown) said that there would be bicycle lanes all over the city. I have the answer to the “why”, but I question the “where and when”?
What a city.
It’s certainly a progressive step and I’m all for it.
It could, however, take Buenos Aires a bit longer than most to transition to the new law. The reason being an important percentage of these bags are not treated as “single use.”
These bags are the most common form of “trash bag” in town. The supermarket displays of trash bags so ubiquitous in the US don’t exist here. Generally, even big supermarkets sell only one brand and size, the ones for “consorcios” where people apartment buildings consolidate all their supermarket bags of kitchen garbage and office waste. Those big trash bags are put on the street.
I’m trying to collect stories about how people here dealt with their kitchen scraps and such before the existence of “the Disco bag.” Few people can remember those days.
Great story!
Mike
Where I live, Houston , Tx., we have been using canvas bags at the Grocery for years. Granted though, not everyone does,but there is no law requiring it. But I see more of them everyday.Plus the bottom doesn’t tear open and drop your wine on the pavement. The only complaint is that people with dogs use a surgical glove and a plastic bag to pick up after their dogs and dispose of it in the trash. There is a law requiring that and it is enforced. I can’t remember the last time I saw Dog pooh on the sidewalk.And a roll of small biodegradable bags for dogs is cheaper than a pair of shoes. Same with a roll of Trash Bags. When I’m in Buenos Aires I’ve heard men cuss louder than a street full of horns when they step in dog_____,We do have fines for seat belts and they aren’t cheap. You won’t get caught but once! And if you try to hand a cop a twenty to let you go he will slap a hand cuff on you.