Although I currently live and go to school in Bellingham, Kent is where I grew up and I will always care for what goes on in that community. It is for this reason that I’m writing to you, trying to spread support for the banning of plastic bags in the city of Kent.
As you may already know, Bellingham banned plastic bags in August of 2012, as have many cities nationwide in recent years. This decision was greatly influenced by concern for the environmental impact of plastic bags, which are undeniably detrimental. They can take around a thousand years to biodegrade, are still toxic even after this degradation, and often end up in the ocean.
Banning plastic bags is one of the simplest and most effective ways of slowing climate change and environmental degradation on a local, and eventually national, scale.
When Bellingham banned plastic bags, the city began charging shoppers five cents for each paper bag they took from the store. Although this seems like a minuscule amount, many people still buy paper bags every day and because of this, additional tax revenue is collected by the city.
Consequently, people are often so deterred from getting a paper bag for fear of paying the bag tax that they buy reusable bags and make it a habit to bring them to the store.
On the one hand, if plastic bags were banned, Kent could garner more tax revenue via the bag tax. On the other hand, more people using reusable bags is already a step in the right direction to becoming more eco-friendly.
The environment is an issue that directly affects us all. We should really start taking action to preserve it.
– Alex Hastings
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