Big Business Wins in Seattle, Seattle, WA

Seattle was to become the first U.S. city to charge a fee for both paper and plastic bags at grocery stores. Seattle residents stood firmly behind the Green Bag Campaign, intended to dramatically increase the use of reusable totes for shopping and decrease the use of disposable bags. A similar law in Ireland decreased one-time bag use by 90%.

Enter the American Chemistry Council and its millions of dollars. The Virginia-based company was the primary supporter of the $1.4 million campaign to defeat the bag fee and dramatically outspent its opponent. In this unhappy ending, big business got its way. With more than half the votes counted, the measure is suffering a resounding defeat.

Studies published by Seattle Public Utilities estimate that Seattle residents use around 360 million disposable shopping bags per year: 292 million plastic and 68 million paper. These bags use up renewable resources, endanger sea life, clog storm drains, and jam recycling machines. Recycling plastic bags is a costly and resource-intensive process. The Green Bag Campaign would have dramatically reduced this waste.

However, environmentalists see a silver lining in the bitterly fought campaign. Despite the defeat, stores have seen more and more customers with reusable totes. With so much attention to the issue, consumers have become more of their habits and how they impact the environment.

The campaign’s defeat has one more twist. The Seattle Times is reporting that the median age of Seattle voters in the August 18th primary was 56.7 years. I am willing to wager that if Seattle’s young, environmentally-conscientious voters turned out, the Green Bag Campaign would have passed.