Plastic Bag Ban

what about the produce bags , the ones used for meat and produce? are those banned too. what about the lunch meat bags?

what about the produce bags , the ones used for meat and produce? are those banned too. what about the lunch meat bags?

No, those fall in the specific exemption category.

had not thought about them until yesterday when i was at the store.

not sure what the difference is though. other than size

Guess they figure bags for meat and produce aren't optional.

1) Local barrier island voted to ban plastic bags (Folly Beach). Passed. Other municipalities looking to follow (Isle of Palms, Sullivan's Island, Edisto, Kiawah)

2) SC State legislature has initial reading of bill that would ban local municipalities from banning plastic bags. Uproar. Bill sent to committee and tabled until 2018.

3) Oh yeah; one of the largest bag manufacturers is in upstate SC.

There's a headline in the Daily News today about "A local grocery company has gone to court trying to force the V.I. Waste Management Authority to let it continue using plastic bags." Unfortunately, I have no access to the rest of the article so don't know what grocery store it is, etc.

Pueblo

Thanks.
Maybe Pueblo should have more health inspections.

2) SC State legislature has initial reading of bill that would ban local municipalities from banning plastic bags.

Sounds like the NC bathroom bill.

I'd be interested in providing the many photos I have of plastic bags around corals, reef rock and a sea turtle to that judge. If anyone has more information please pm me and I will print and send the photos off.

Send your pictures to all the Senators and the Department of Tourism so they can see what you and our visitors see and how plastic bags impact the environment.

They've seen them. I sent them all before the law was passed.

Did the pictures you sent were they taken in the Virgin Islands?

Yes of course. All but two that I sent were taken on STT the other two were from STJ... if I remember correctly. I did private island tours in STT and my guests would have the misfortune of watching me remove them from corals and reef but it was a teaching moment. I especially hate taking bags off fire coral lol. Always get stung. Also the dive shops here hates me a little because I always stuff trash in my BC pockets and forget to empty. I've gotten better now that I have a bigger mesh bag lol.

Matter of fact I took a photo today of the top of a black plastic bag 700m out from Frederiksted beach on our dive. Right about where later today a large leatherback was spotted. Of course I just missed it - smh. You know what they eat right? Jellyfish... and what looks like jellyfish under water? BAGS.

I just don't think people understand how bad it is under there. To be fair it's not just bags - today I also picked up a dozen beer cans near a mooring a half dozen plastic cups a few straws and a coupe plastic juice style bottles. No underwear today, WHEW! Also saw three car batteries laying on the reef. One looked fairly new. Many glass bottles but I typically leave those. I won't even get started on how much line and many lures we pull off the pier, I think about reselling those lures, some are nice ones. I recently heard there's biodegradable fishing line??? That's pretty cool but I can only imagine the uproar of that was mandatory to use.

Today we were lionfish hunting. 7 more lionfish down and the ceviche is cookin in the fridge. Mmmmm!

Also the dive shops here hates me a little because I always stuff trash in my BC pockets and forget to empty.

All that diving and you don't use your own BC?

Are you still seeing tons of Lionfish on the West side?

I totally agree with you that people dont know how bad it is under there. Alot of locals dont really appreciate what we have and I think thats why they consider the ban just another bill passed by the legislature. Some people complain about Kmart charging for their bag which is in compliance with the ban that states it has to be 2.25 mil thick. But that is in place for everyone to change the habit to bring your own bags to shop.The article in the Daily News states that Pueblo is seeking judgement in court that the bag they uses are compostable/biodegradeable. The website link (oxobag.com) on the bags doesnt even work. Also it states that as long as bags were purchased or recieve by Oct 7 WMA will consider extending the grace period. I also would like to applaud what you do when you see trash.

She probably stores it there as she does a lot of diving, and they can rinse and hang it for her. At least that's what I took from that statement.

Also the dive shops here hates me a little because I always stuff trash in my BC pockets and forget to empty.

All that diving and you don't use your own BC?

Are you still seeing tons of Lionfish on the West side?

For those that might be interested:

With April's arrival, spring is finally in the air.
What's sprouting this month in science entertainment on Netflix?
Check it out with Live Science.

New on April 21

A Plastic Ocean (Plastic Oceans Ltd., 2016): What lurks beneath the ocean's surface? Plastic — and a lot of it. An international team of researchers, conservationists and filmmakers traveled around the world, filming this documentary in 20 locations over four years, to capture the consequences of pervasive plastic pollution on ocean ecosystems, and its toll on wildlife in the sea.

Also the dive shops here hates me a little because I always stuff trash in my BC pockets and forget to empty.

All that diving and you don't use your own BC?

Are you still seeing tons of Lionfish on the West side?

Haha NOPE! I trade dive shops for gear. I do websites and design work in trade for gear. It works great for both and I don't have to worry about maintenance for having things inspected. It's all done for me. 😉 When I was in STT I worked for a dive shop - well it's kinda a dive shop lol so always got free gear there too. When I travel I travel real light so I'd not take my own gear even if I had it. I can make any rental gear work just fine for me. I know some people are pickey about having their own regs and such but I'm not at all.

Also the dive shops here hates me a little because I always stuff trash in my BC pockets and forget to empty.

Are you still seeing tons of Lionfish on the West side?

Sadly yes but I kinda feel like we're making a dent (probably not in reality lol) We hunt pretty much every Sunday and usually get at least one. Last weekend 9 this weekend 7 one yesterday was loaded full with eggs so that's a bonus! Still sad to me because they're beautiful and I hate killing anything but dey gotta go. I give my fiancé total props, he's the one that does the spearing and he's really good at it too. Bought him a nice zookeeper for his birthday so he didn't have to use his terrible homemade one :@)

Monster from last weekend.

Grocery’s Lawsuit Against ‘Plastic Bag Ban’ Spurs More Questions About Law
April 18, 2017

http://stthomassource.com/content/2017/04/18/grocerys-lawsuit-against-plastic-bag-ban-spurs-more-questions-about-law/

whats wrong with biodegradable plastic bags?

Pretty sad they can't even get this law right. There are enough municipalities out there they have a ban already, why not use their law as a guide to make sure it clears all legal challenges? These senators are a waste of payroll.

whats wrong with biodegradable plastic bags?

I posted this before but you might've missed it:

http://www.sciencefocus.com/qa/how-long-do-biodegradable-bags-take-decompose

Biodegradable plastics take three to six months to decompose fully. That’s much quicker than synthetic counterparts that take several hundred years. Exactly how long a biodegradable bag takes to break down depends on various factors, such as temperature and the amount of moisture present.

But the bags aren’t always as environmentally friendly as they seem. They’re made from similar petrochemical-based materials to conventional plastic, only with compounds added that cause them to disintegrate gradually in the presence of light or oxygen.
They often then degrade into a sludge of toxic chemicals.

Bioplastics made of cornstarch and other plant-based materials are a better bet. They give off CO2 as they decompose, but they’re merely expelling carbon locked in by the plant matter that originally formed them. The net effect on the environment is therefore close to zero.

thanks alana.

i wonder why nothing is being done about all the plastic water and soda bottles on island that i see littering the roads? seems that would be a top priority too