| Ban on plastic bags spreads across the world |
| Tuesday, 18 September 2012 09:48 |
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Plastic bags are losing the battle against Nature, with the precious help of world citizens and non-governmental organizations.The plastic ban hype is spreading quickly, for the sake of Planet Earth and future generations. In San Francisco, Judge Teri L. Jackson confirmed the extension of the city ban on plastic checkout bags to all retail stores and restaurants. The "Save the Plastic Bag Coalition", an association of plastic bag manufacturers and distributors brought suit to invalidate the law, arguing that the City had not properly complied with provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act and that the California Retail Food Code preempts the law because prohibitions on plastic bags for retail food facilities amount to a "health and sanitation standard." The court disagreed. The new "bigger, better" San Francisco ordinance applies to all stores and restaurants instead of just supermarkets and large pharmacies. It also adds a fee on paper bags which was not implemented in the first San Francisco bag ordinance. Meanwhile, Cookie Cup debuted an edible cup that brings ecofriendly "recycling" to another level with its tasty design because there's no cup to wash or send to the landfill. The Cookie Cup is made of pastry covered with a special icing sugar, which works as an insulator, and makes the cup waterproof, hence allowing you to use the cup to drink your coffee, and then finish off with a tasty biscuit. In India, and after a false start three years ago, Delhi, the country's capitol city, will soon have one of the most extensive bans on plastic products out there. Plastic bags lie strewn in city alleys, clogging drainage pipes, harming cows that eat them along with the garbage that they nibble on and offer a prime breeding ground for harmful bacteria and disease. The updated ban now prohibits manufacturing of plastic bags and use of plastic sheets, films or covers for packaging books, magazines or cards. |
