Free the Planet talks bag tax with Peduto

City Councilman William Peduto met with Pitt environmental club Free the Planet Wednesday… City Councilman William Peduto met with Pitt environmental club Free the Planet Wednesday night to discuss eliminating the use of plastic bags in grocery stores in Pittsburgh.

Free the Planet has highlighted plastic bags as a problem because instead of biodegrading they photodegrade, which releases toxins into the soil, waterways and food chain indirectly.

The website ReusableBags.com, both an eco-friendly business and a source for activism, reports that “hundreds of thousands” of aquatic mammals die annually from eating plastic bags in the ocean. Plastic bags are among the top 12 items of debris found at coastal cleanups.

Free the Planet co-president Lindsay Blotzer sees this as a problem that Pitt students can do something about. Trader Joe’s, Giant Eagle and Whole Foods all sell reusable canvas bags for $1.

“That’s something everyone can afford, I feel,” Blotzer said.

Club member Lisa Morris keeps a wallet-sized reusable nylon “green bag” in her purse in case she decides to go shopping during the day as a convenient and inexpensive (less than $2) alternative to plastic bags.

Another club member, Sony Rane, is helping host a plastic-bag collection throughout Pitt dorms until the end of the semester.

The bags will be used to create a large eco-art installation “to represent environmental degradation,” Rane said.

While the group is trying to increase recycling awareness on campus, they also want to take the issue to the city. That’s where Peduto comes in.

Blotzer sees a European-style solution to the bag problem. She pointed to the highly successful bag tax that was introduced in Ireland in 2002. Stores charged a 15 euro-cent tax per plastic bag and bag-consumption rates dropped by 90 percent within the first year. The money from the tax was spent on other sustainability issues, Blotzer said.

“Right now the price is free but the cost to the environment isn’t,” she said. “A bag tax would make people think about the true cost.”

She said the group’s goal is to get 1,000 signatures from bag-tax supporters to present to City Council and then begin attending council meetings to lobby council members.

“I want to talk to them face-to-face and tell them all the facts so it’s not just an e-mail they can delete,” Blotzer said.

Peduto rushed to David Lawrence late Wednesday night straight from a City Council meeting. He said, “Before you guys start, let me tell you a little about myself.”

Peduto went on to reveal that he’s a member of the Sierra Club, he’s the only candidate they ever supported in a local election, and he recently became a spokesman for green government on the national level.

“Let me tell you, we’re talking about these same issues at the local level,” Peduto said, “but they are really at the seed level.”

Peduto pointed out that Whole Foods Market is planning to announce a ban on plastic bags this coming Earth Day. “Once they do that, it will be easier to try to convince Giant Eagle to stop using plastic bags too because they really pride themselves on having green policies.” Peduto said he plans to try to pressure the store himself.

But when Blotzer asked him about the possibility of implementing a bag tax, Peduto leveled with her. He explained that City Council has no direct authority to pass any taxes; all taxes must be approved by the state.

“We have no authority to create anything other than a fee,” he said.

The state would have to authorize a county tax that was first approved at City Council.

“Let me look at it. I’m not just going to dismiss it,” Peduto said. “But it’s really hard to get six votes to pass.”

Peduto gave group members contact information for other Pittsburgh environmental groups. He’s planning a green summit to gather all the groups under one roof because “you guys are all doing great things but you don’t know about each other and you could do so much more if you got together,” he said

The councilman planted the seeds of opportunity for a great partnership with Free the Planet when he said, “I’m here to listen to your ideas, but I’m also here to ask for your help.”