Guest Opinion: Plastic Bags Make Sense for Sammamish & Issaquah

With the Issaquah City Council delaying their vote on an ordinance that would ban plastic bags and tax paper bags, and in light of a recent demonstrating that local residents have mixed opinions on the issue, I thought I would take this opportunity to explain why banning or taxing plastic bags is not the right decision for Sammamish and Issaquah consumers, businesses, and the economy.

As Director of Sustainability and Marketing for Hilex Poly, an American manufacturer of plastic bags and operator of the world’s largest closed loop plastic bag recycling facility, I understand how this ordinance would impact American jobs in the manufacturing and recycling industries and why local recycling programs are a far better choice than plastic bag bans or taxes.

Firstly, plastic bags are more than single-use items. They are 100% recyclable and, according to an APCO study, about 90 percent of American households reuse some of their plastic bags for bin liners, household chores, pet waste and more. A ban or tax would push consumers to use less environmentally friendly paper bags, which require more energy to produce and transport, or reusable bags, which are not recyclable and can have health consequences. A study conducted by Use Less Stuff found that following the San Francisco bag ban, a significant amount of double bagging occurred.  And according to a study by University of Arizona microbiologist Dr. Charles P. Gerba, reusable bags can contain harmful bacteria like E‐coli and salmonella, which can cause serious illness.

Instead of banning a 100% reusable and recyclable product, Hilex believes in common sense legislation that preserves American manufacturing and recycling jobs and supports recycling.  In the United States, more than 30,000 people are directly employed by the plastic bag manufacturing and recycling industry, and thousands more are indirectly employed. In fact, the industry employs 1,000 Washingtonians here thanks to the plastic bag manufacturers, logistics and warehousing companies that support the plastic bag industry. Legislation would directly impact these jobs and the families who make their living here.

The industry has made great progress over the past 10 years. According to the latest EPA Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United States report, recycling of polyethylene (PE) bags, sacks and wraps increased to 15 percent in the last year, with PE plastic bag, sack and wrap recycling growing 9 out of the last 10 years. Our very own Bag-2-Bag program has also made recycling easier and more convenient for consumers by establishing more than 30,000 drop-off bins at retailers across the country. Although we realize there is still more we can do to improve recycling rates, we hope to have the support of local residents and legislators to help continue this increase.

If you are interested in learning more, please visit the Bag the Ban multimedia or learn the facts pages for more information. And if you’re interested in taking action, please sign our petition for Washington State here or for nationwide plastic bag legislation here.

By Phil Rozenski

Phil Rozenski is the Director of Sustainability and Marketing for Hilex Poly. While at Hilex, Phil’s greatest product innovation has been the “Grey is the New Green” product line, the first successfully branded recycled content plastic shopping bag, which diverted 100s of millions of pounds of plastic from the national waste stream and continues to grow each year.