Boulder likely to impose 10-cent bag fee

[Dr_Fwd]

Link (http://www.9news.com/news/article/297892/75/Boulder-likely-to-impose-10-cent-bag-fee)


BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Boulder appears likely to begin charging shoppers 10 cents for each paper and plastic bag they use at the grocery store.

The Daily Camera reports city councilmembers voted 7-1 Thursday in favor of an ordinance establishing the fee, which would begin in July. Because part of the original proposal was changed, a fourth reading of the plan is set for Nov. 15.

The fee would apply to paper and plastic bags at food retailers, including convenience stores and Target, but gas station stores would be exempt if food sales are less than 2 percent of their business.

Councilman George Karakehian voted against the proposal in an effort to persuade his colleagues to reconsider the fee and change it to a ban on plastic bags.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[zteknik]

Sounds like Bloomberg had some influence there...

[Dr_Fwd]

Another reason not to go there..

[Ashton]

Glad I live in unincorporated weld county. Don't even pay taxes on food.

[BuffCyclist]

I was told by a bagger at my Walmart (southern new mexico) that Albuquerque has already done this. Walmart has done studies and found its more efficient for their employees to fill a larger bag (cloth) with more items than to fill individual plastic bags. They can therefore process through more transactions because they can bag faster, which earns them more money. And since they no longer have to pay for plastic bags, its cheaper too.

The employee said he didn't care either way, because they have to ring up a certain number of items per hour as employees, so the faster they can get them done the less they have to worry about potentially being fired for not meeting their hourly quota (yes, laugh but thats what he said lol).

I've been using reusable bags since I lived in Boulder (and have since moved away) which is now about 7yrs. They're easier to use, hold a lot more weight and our house is no longer cluttered with bags.

[Dr_Fwd]

I use the plastic bags to clean after my dog...

[BuffCyclist]

I use the plastic bags to clean after my dog...

I do too. And even with using our cloth bags, we still somehow manage to accumulate more bags than our two dogs can fill them. Its an endless cycle.

And yet somehow, my dog doesn't let me just hang a plastic bag from her tail. It would solve all of our problems! I wouldn't have to let her outside, she wouldn't have to worry about where she goes, etc. Win win.

[MrPrena]

Fine.

Environmental factor and cost efficiency wise, I am all up for using my own bag.
However, imposing taxes on consumer is just ....... :(

[Mazin]

Fine.

Environmental factor and cost efficiency wise, I am all up for using my own bag.
However, imposing taxes on consumer is just ....... :(

Yep my thoughts exactly....Like we need another tax.

[rockhound]

boulder never met an environmental tax they didn't like

no big surprise here

[Mazin]

Wait, does that include SaddleBags [Tooth]

[rockhound]

i can see it now, the obama crowd will need to get their reusable bags provided to them cause they can't afford to buy their own and the new tax is a burden,

this will be one more thing that I can "just do a little more of"

I have four kids do you any idea how many grocery bags I and going to have to buy in order to get our average weeks groceries home in? I am going to have a storage crate full.........................

[Whistler]

Stupidity has no limits. [Tooth]

[JoeT]

there was a study last year on this....the reusable bags (I think they used the canvas bags like you'd get at whole foods) were tested to have unsafe level of bacteria, causing cross contamination from your old groceries to your new groceries

[Great-Kazoo]

This was proposed last election cycle as a state wide law, fortunately it didn't go anywhere.

[Tinelement]

What if you bring in your OWN plastic bags!?

Yeah know, just to stir the pot!! [ROFL1]

[JohnTRourke]

Another reason not to go there..

yep
fuck boulder

well, since they don't have bags
make the employees help you out with everything.

that should get expensive fast, but free for the consumer.
hehehehehehehehe

[merl]

luckily Boulder City, not county.

[Danimal]

I have read multiple articles about how reusable bags propagate bacterial growth and how they take something like 50 times the material and several hundred times the energy to make them. So as long as you get a couple years or bacteria laden use out of them they are worth it. Otherwise the only problem that we solved was the bags in the landfill problem, and I thought that was solved by separate bag recycling stations like they have around Boulder.

This kinda reminds me of two years ago when Boulder voted to raise a 7% tax against Xcel energy for the development of clean energy. We did not even make it through December of that year before Xcel announced a 9% raise in electricity costs. Boy you sure got them polluting bastards good, city of Boulder.

[DSull]

Bacteria can live in those cloth bags and there is a case on record where a woman almost died from the infection she was exposed to by using the cloth bags. Good Luck!

[hatidua]

Some stores already had this policy....kind of. Whole Foods offers a $.10 credit per bag if you bring your own. You can donate your $.10 to charity, or have it deducted from your bill.

[ChunkyMonkey]

Naw..don't abandon Boulder. I would love to open a coal plant or plastic factory in Boulder. [Tooth]

Serious note: the hypocrisy... The same city is making tons of $ from plastic manufacturer/retailers such as Magpul!

[sniper7]

I need those plastic bags to put stinky diapers and dog shit it.
Maybe I can take them up to boulder and sell them on the black market

[USAFGopherMike]

Just another excuse to Tax the people. Fuck planet Boulder.

[colorider]

The checkers need a lesson on how to pack groceries. They put 2 cans in a bag and that's it. Or 3 small items. I tell them to load em up. I will deal with it if the bags tear. Which they never do. I can often consolidate 4 of their loaded bags into 1.

[SNAFU]

Link (http://www.9news.com/news/article/297892/75/Boulder-likely-to-impose-10-cent-bag-fee)


Aspen,Bassalt,,have already has done this 3 months ago.

[TS12000]

Will my foodstamps be considered a valid currency to pay my bag tax?

[Ah Pook]

Who knows, maybe next they will start a fat tax on sodas and candy.

[patrick0685]

glad i dont live there...

[Zundfolge]

Reusable bags are a menace to the public health. (http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2012/05/in_a_first_oregon_scientific_s.html)

Plus we use the plastic bags for emptying our cat box.

If that kind of insanity ever comes where I live, I'll be brining back any of the bags with a hole in it for replacement or refund. If I'm paying for them then I sure as hell ain't gonna put up with bags I can't use later.

[hatidua]

Who knows, maybe next they will start a fat tax on sodas and candy.

I'd be content if they'd simply levy a fat tax on fat people.

[merl]

I'd be content if they'd simply levy a fat tax on fat people.
But that would be blaming the victim instead of that evil sugar. ;)


I'd be content if govt simply left us alone