Plastic

Remarks by Mayor Bloomberg at a Public Hearing on Local Laws

January 23, 2008 -- "The first of two bills before me today is Introductory Number 640-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Vallone, Gennaro, McMahon, Yassky, Liu, Mark-Viverito, Gioia, de Blasio, Avella, Brewer, Felder, Fidler, Gentile, Gonzalez, James, Koppell, Lappin, Nelson, Recchia, Sanders, Weprin, Jackson, Arroyo, Garodnick, Sears, and the Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. Introductory number 640-A establishes a recycling program for plastic bags.    » read more »

12 January 2008 -- China is taking action to curb plastic bag litter. Soon, free shopping bags will be a thing of the past.

Starting June 1, shoppers in China will have to pay for plastic bags. Under new government rules, the production of ultra-thin bags will be banned and their use in supermarkets forbidden. Shops can still use more durable plastic bags, but will be required to charge shoppers for them.

A government Web site is calling on shoppers to turn to cloth bags and shopping baskets to reduce the use of plastic.    » read more »

NEW YORK (January 9, 2008) – The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) today welcomed New York City Council passage of new legislation that would encourage recycling of single-use plastic bags at large supermarkets and other retail outlets throughout the city.

The legislation, sponsored by Speaker Christine Quinn, council members Peter Vallone, Michael McMahon and others, would require large retail outlets in New York City to establish in-store plastic bag recycling programs, inform consumers of the availability of such programs and to offer for sale reusable bags.    » read more »

10 January 2008 -- Australia's new environment minister says he wants to eliminate the use of plastic shopping bags by the end of this year.

Environment Minister Peter Garrett said Thursday that it is absolutely critical to begin moving on the issue now. The former rock musician and long-time environmental campaigner says Australia produces four billion plastic bags each year, many of which end up in landfills.

Environmental groups have welcomed the announcement, but businesses question how the government plans to achieve the goal and whether it will actually benefit the environment.    » read more »

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) July 30, 2007 – The Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet (EPPC) has ordered a Greenup County plastics plant to immediately stop releasing a solvent into the Ohio River at Wurtland.

The order, issued July 26, directs Pregis Innovative Packaging Inc. to immediately halt any activity and correct any condition leading to the discharge of unacceptable levels of methylene chloride into the Ohio River.    » read more »

Disregards scientific experts, peer-reviewed studies, relies heavily on data sponsored by chemical industry

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 8, 2007) – Today an expert advisory committee convened by the National Toxicology Program, the primary federal chemical testing and evaluation program within the National Institutes of Health, released a report which dramatically understates the human health risks from real-world exposure to the toxic chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), according to scientists at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).    » read more »

09 August 2007 -- Every day, American consumers are offered a simple choice when they are by a store's cashier: "paper or plastic?" But some communities are starting to take away that option.

San Francisco, California, has ordered big grocery and drugstore chains to stop passing out the strong, sheer plastic bags, made from petrochemicals.

And the city council in Maryland's quaint capital plans to vote on an even stronger measure come October.    » read more »

08 August 2007 -- Bisphenol A – or BPA – is a common chemical used to make tough, shatter-resistant plastic. It is found in a multitude of things we use every day. Now there is a growing concern among environmentalists and scientists about the health risks of BPA, especially for children. The issue is under discussion this week by a panel convened by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science in Washington, D.C.    » read more »