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Polls show that the majority of people oppose plastic bag bans. Yet city councils continue to force these onto their citizens through a pre-staged process pushed by a vocal minority. But if enough people stand up an oppose these bans and take action, then our freedoms and respect for individual decision making can be maintained.
Here are some things you can do:
- Write to your city council
If your city has not yet decided or considered banning plastic bags, then write to your council members and mayor. Tell them why you oppose plastic bag bans. Explain to them the many reasons why they make no sense, and the immense inconvenience it passes on to citizens. And demand that they take no action without a public vote.
If your city has already banned plastic bags, then also write to your council members and mayor and explain why you oppose their ban. Demand that they reconsider the plastic bag ban, and demand that they show evidence of MAJOR improvements in all areas that were promised, otherwise demand that they lift the plastic bag ban.
- Write to your newspaper
Write letters to the editor of your newspaper on the topic. If your newspaper supports the plastic bag ban, then be sure to point out their hypocrisy if they wrap their newspapers in plastic bags!
- Talk and write to your stores
You would think that stores would be fighting the plastic bag ban. They have learned that plastic bag bans make for a huge amount of headaches for them, and angry frustrated customers. Yet they seem mostly silent while these bag bans are passed. (This could be because they make money selling reusable bags and paper bags at 5 or 10 cents, or because they don't want to appear "anti-environmental".) But take a moment to talk or write to your local store manager, and tell them that you oppose plastic bag bans and hope that they would take a stand against them. Tell them that you will take your business elsewhere whenever possible if a plastic bag ban is implemented.
- Go to City Council meetings on the topic
Unfortunately, the city council meeting process is heavily biased toward the loud so-called "environmentalists" who show up with bags taped all over their bodies, or with groups of brainwashed school children who have been told to draw pictures of plastic bags in the environment. But average citizens need to stand up and walk through the facts, and make demands of the city council that they show evidence and facts before removing citizen freedoms. The fact is that 90% of the population use plastic bags when shopping, so remember you are in the majority!
- Take your own plastic bags!
Show your opposition to the plastic bag ban by bringing your own plastic bags! You can buy them in lots of 1000, and they end up costing about 2-3 cents each. Pass them out to others in line. Use them to start conversations about how silly and meaningless the bag ban is, and how it should be repealed.
- Shop elsewhere (when possible)
This decision is up to you. Small grocers and stores are victims as well in this bag ban scandal, so it is unfortunate to extract damage from them. However, loss of city revenue may be one of the only factors that help city councils reconsider the bag ban. And if store revenue does not drop, then the proponents will say "See? No revenue was lost due to the plastic bag ban!"
One other helpful point is that those neighboring cities who do not have plastic bag bans will see an increase in business, which will put more pressure on them NOT to pass plastic bag bans.
Many of our readers report taking all of their shopping out of the city to other cities that still allow plastic bags, as an act of protest. Some other readers still shop in the city, but shop elsewhere when possible. (Remember that shopping elsewhere gives you a chance to replenish your supply of plastic bags for home use!)
If you do make this decision to shop elsewhere, then also be sure to mention it in your letters to your council members.
- Start a petition in your city for a public vote
Citizens always have the right to collect enough signatures to force a citizen's vote on any topic. You can either collect the signatures within 30 days of the city council deciding an issue (a "Referendum") which forces it to a vote, or draft your own initiative and collect votes over a 6 month period. Contact us if you are interested in the process.
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