Michelle Malkin has the rundown on a new initiative in hippie-friendly Seattle. She also quotes an article dispelling some of the myths about disposable bags.

Seattle could trump even the greenest of American cities with fines on foam and taxes on bags — both paper and plastic, city politicians say.

Seattle would impose a 20-cent-per-bag “green fee” and outlaw foam food containers next year under a proposal announced Wednesday. Aiming to persuade Seattleites to ditch disposable bags, the city hopes to send a free reusable bag to every Seattle household, Mayor Greg Nickels said.

“No other city has done what we’re suggesting here,” Nickels said. “These actions will take tons of plastic and foam out of our waste stream. … The best way to handle a ton of waste is not to create it in the first place.” Eventually, Seattle restaurants also would be forbidden from using plastic food containers that can’t be recycled or composted, according to rules being developed by Nickels and City Council President Richard Conlin. Some major questions about the policies remain — from political differences over how to spend the taxes to outstanding technical dilemmas. If adopted by the council, the fee would apply to disposable bags distributed at grocery, convenience and drug stores. The polystyrene foam ban would force restaurants and stores to find alternative egg cartons, meat trays, plates, “clamshells” and cups.

The foam and bag rules would go into effect Jan. 1. The plastic food container restrictions would be implemented July 2010.

“It’s a big symbolic step, but it’s also a very concerted step in the right direction,” Conlin said.

Step in the right direction? No, it’s stepping in something but that ain’t the right direction stuck to your shoe.

Also, Patterico’s has the scoop on some things environmentalists are responsible for:

Increasing food prices, tortilla shortages in Mexico, flour shortages in Pakistan, declining feedstock populations, rising unemployment in the poultry industry, milk shortages, pressure on water supplies worldwide, South Amercian deforestation, destruction of wetlands and grasslands, species extinction, ocean pollution, razing of reforests, etc.

Fun?

Tags: american cities, city council president, city politicians, clamshells, disposable bags, egg cartons, mayor greg nickels, meat trays, michelle malkin, plastic food container, plastic food containers, political differences, polystyrene foam, richard conlin, seattle restaurants, seattle seattle, step in the right direction, symbolic step, technical dilemmas, waste stream

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