News
Bags
Safety
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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