Sen. Marc Basnight wants to ban plastic bags in the Outer Banks.
The Democratic Senate leader is pushing a bill that would ban plastic shopping bags in coastal counties that he represents. If successful, the pilot program could be implemented statewide.
Shoppers in Dare, Currituck and Hyde counties would receive bags made of 100 percent recycled paper, which cost more, or bring their own reusable bags.
Last week, Basnight began using paper bags for takeout orders at his restaurant.
Environmentalists blame the bags for causing problems with litter and harming waterborne creatures, but retailers warned that the recycled bags cost more.
"The cost gets passed on to consumers," said Andy Ellen, a lobbyist for the N.C. Retail Merchants Association. (N&O)
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Re: Bill would ban plastic bags
This is ridiculous. It seems to me that most Americans simply want to government out of their lives. Ridding ourselves of plastic bags will only cause prices to go up at the grocery store. If another bag was more economically efficient, stores would already be using them.
Marc Basnight has run this state entirely too long and needs to be sent back to his own district where won't be able to control our lives so much.