Got 10 cents — per plastic bag? Senate bill would require it

Tuesday, April 21, 2009 | 6:26 p.m.

Archive of Sun politics stories

CARSON CITY — A bill to require consumers to pay 10 cents per plastic bag used to carry purchases is still alive.

The Senate adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 397 to set aside the money collected from the 10 cent charge for cleanup projects.

If passed by the Legislature, starting Oct. 1 businesses would charge 10 cents to the customer for each plastic bag issued to the customer to haul merchandise. This charge would remain in effect until June 30, 2013, then plastic bags would be banned.

Exempted from the 10 cent charge would be bags used to cover clothes that have been dry cleaned. Merchants would be allowed to keep 10 percent of the money collected on the bags for administrative expenses.

The funds would be used by the state Division of Environmental Protection to award grants to local governments, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions to enhance solid waste management systems, including cleanup of solid waste.

After the admendment was approved Tuesday, the measure was sent to the Senate Finance Committee.

Discussion: 14 comments so far…

By clearperspective

4/21/09 at 7:02 p.m.

Suggest removal

Did you know that the Australian government actually retracted its quote that 100,000 marine animals are killed by plastic bags each year because the story actually states that plastic fishing debris (mainly abandoned nets) was the cause?

http://www.environment.gov.au/settlement...

Also did you know that the majority US plastic bags are made from natural gas and not oil?

For facts and links to the studies about plastic bags and the environment that started it all, as well as environmental shopping strategies and a
survey of plastic bag knowledge...please visit

www.thetruthaboutplasticbags.com

Watch a plastic recycling emercial at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSHBJfidJ...
By LasVegas2009

4/21/09 at 7:17 p.m.

Suggest removal

Just demand paper bags until they go back to killing trees for awhile. I refuse to pay for the bag, if they want my business these store better figure something else out. Make the sacks out of hemp or some other cheap source.
By Harley

4/21/09 at 7:52 p.m.

Suggest removal

Instead of plastic bags...

Charge 25-cents for every disposable plastic diaper, they stink and similarly bad for the environment; use the proceeds to clean-up solid waste while erecting additional abortion clinics.

Better logic.

"We cannot solve today's problems with the same level of thinking that created them." -A. Einstein
By vmanstuff

4/21/09 at 8:33 p.m.

Suggest removal

Another piece of your freedoms and liberties slowly being erroded.

You know this has nothing to do with the environment. It has everything to do with separating you from your money. You know for the good of the state.
By TransAm1986

4/21/09 at 9:41 p.m.

Suggest removal

Hey politicians, put a bag over your head.
By Lenny_V

4/21/09 at 9:52 p.m.

Suggest removal

the senate are fn idiots, vman I agree.
By ivegotcha

4/21/09 at 10:26 p.m.

Suggest removal

oh my gosh, pretty soon they are going to charge me for using toliet paper in the establishments. give me a break. I am waiting to hear , " oh let us do our share and reduce our pay by 50%". yeah right
By gmag39

4/21/09 at 10:55 p.m.

Suggest removal

From a purely practical perspective, I HATE those stupid plastic bags. If you ask for paper,
they look at you like you are nuts.
aesthetically, I HATE seeing those stupid plastic bags by the thousands all over empty lots and hooked up on fences and generally blowing around the desert like tumbleweeds.
By LasVegas2009

4/21/09 at 11:46 p.m.

Suggest removal

How long before they tax us for the air we breath?
By avatar

4/22/09 at 12:58 a.m.

Suggest removal

Why just plastic bags?

Why not add to the list:

Milk Cartons
Oil containers
Aluminum cans
2-Liter soft drink bottles
Glass soda pop bottles
Plastic bubble wrap
Newspapers
On and on and on
Our trash is a treasure if a market exits for recycling.
By neiman1

4/22/09 at 6:41 a.m.

Suggest removal

Just one more way to suck cash out of the average Joe's pocket and collect it in government where they can increase their car allowance or per deim pay. There people will not stop until we throw them out of office.

Do you want to know what the TEA parties were all about? It was just one level of spending being out of control. It's this. Elected politician trying to regulate behavior and controlling every part of our lives. It's time to dump the politicians in the river and not just tea bags.
By 2zero

4/22/09 at 6:49 a.m.

Suggest removal

Costco seems to do well with out plastic bags?

Everything that goes into the store is in a container, reuse!
By getalife

4/22/09 at 7:13 a.m.

Suggest removal

Costco is not a good example, if they kept all the cardboard and sold it to a recycler it would be reused. As it currently stands Costco places your stuff in the old box, you take it home and throw it away. You are the garbage middleman.

Why not dry cleaners? They pollute the most.

Our country is rapidly spinning out of PC and Enviro control. The money whores are running the show.
By 2zero

4/22/09 at 1:38 p.m.

Suggest removal

getalife, you are right about the fact is we should all have reusable totes and not use plastic or wood products, including dry cleaners.

As for money whores; my mind conjured up Phil Gramm, Wall Street, Exxon, Huntsman and the good old boys raping America.