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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (July 4, 2012)
News Bags Safety continued from page 1 continued from page 1 Thick plastic bags — 2.25 mil or greater — are deemed reusable and may be provided with or without charge at the store’s discretion ‘Warm weather and cold water can be a dangerous combination, and we urge all river users to exercise a high degree of caution and awareness’ Scan our QR code with your app. paper bag. (Typically equivalent to large gro- cery bags — 882 cubic inches — with flat bot- toms greater than 60 square inches.) Large paper bags requiring the 5-cent charge must be a minimum of 40 percent post-con- sumer recycled fiber and the fiber content must be marked on the outside. The 5-cent bag sale is taxable and must be shown on sales receipts. Retailers retain the rev- enue. Smaller bags may be provided with or without charge at the store’s discretion. Thick plastic bags — 2.25 mil or greater — are deemed reusable and may be provided with or without charge at the store’s discretion. The goal of Seattle’s ordinance is to reduce — Keep children within reach, land. “Rivers are dynamic systems, and always watching them closely near they are always changing,” said and in water; — Choose safer swimming options Christie True, director of the King County Department of Natural with lifeguards present, such as a Resources and Parks. “Warm weath- beach, lake or pool; and — Know river conditions before er and cold water can be a dangerous combination, and we urge all river getting in the water. The County’s river safety cam- users to exercise a high degree of caution and awareness when recreating on any of King County’s beau- tiful rivers.” “We want you to have fun and also return home safely from river recreation, so please use caution and wear a PFD on the water,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director and -- Christie True, King County Health Officer for Pub- lic Health – Seattle & Department of Natural Resources King County “If you and Park want to swim, there are much safer places to be – visit a local pool or lifeguarded paign is funded by the King County Office of Risk Management’s Loss beach instead.” Before venturing into open water, Control Fund. For more information on river safe- King County health and safety offi- ty and drowning prevention, visit the cials remind river users to: King County river safety web page at — Wear a life jacket; — Do not use alcohol and drugs www.kingcounty.gov/riversafety. which can impair your judgment in an emergency; Page 4 The Seattle Skanner July 4th, 2012 ONLINE waste — particularly, plastic litter. Plastic never disappears from the environment; it can harm animals and affect the food chain, especially in waterways and oceans. The Seattle bag ban follows similar ordi- nances in neighboring Edmonds (in effect since 2010) and Bellingham (approved early in 2011) where the ban on single-use plastic bags takes effect August 1. Bainbridge Island and Mukilteo have followed suit with bans effective in November 2012 and January 2013, respectively. Plastic bag bans have also been approved by city councils in a dozen California cities, including Los Ange- les last month, and Portland, Ore., a year ago. “From our conversations with local retailers, and from what we have seen in other Washington cities that have adopted bans on throwaway plastic carryout bags, we are expecting a smooth transition when the new law takes effect here on July 1,” said SPU program manager Dick Lilly. “Most major stores, particularly grocery and drug stores where about 70 percent of plastic bags originate, are already selling moderately- priced reusable bags to help their customers,” Lilly added. Shoppers can keep reusable carryout bags in their cars, backpacks or purses ready when they need them, Lilly advised. Having a reusable bag handy means buyers won’t need to pay the 5- cent fee required to get large recyclable paper bags to carry groceries or other large purchases. theskannermobile.com ing customers with single-use plastic carryout shopping bags, including those advertised as compostable, biodegradable, photodegradable or similar. Key elements of the ordinance include: Single-use plastic merchandise carryout bags are banned. This includes plastic-like bags claimed to be compostable, biodegradable, pho- todegradable or similar. Customers must be charged 5 cents per large
