I just ran into an article from January of 2011 about whether to ban plastic bags in Austin, Texas. Another reason to use reusable bags, save money!
‘Plastic bags cost Austin taxpayers at least $850,000 a year to put in landfills and clean up as litter, an analysis has concluded…..
The numbers could help build the case for a ban: Austinites use about 263 million plastic bags a year, and it would be costly — $1.8 million a year — to start a curbside program to collect and recycle the bags, according to the analysis, explained by Solid Waste Services Director Bob Gedert in a memo Wednesday to City Council members.
- The cost of collecting and storing garbage in landfills is $25.6 million a year, so, at 2.1 percent , plastic bags cost about $540,000 .
- It costs another $134,000 to collect plastic bags that litter waterways and roads and fly away from landfills to nearby properties, and
- Cost $176,000 to remove plastic bags that clog recycling machinery, the analysis says.
The numbers could help build the case for a ban: Austinites use about 263 million plastic bags a year, and it would be costly — $1.8 million a year — to start a curbside program to collect and recycle the bags, according to the analysis, explained by Solid Waste Services Director Bob Gedert in a memo Wednesday to City Council members.
Full Story at Statesman