Item 4: Ordinance on Suspension of Paper Bag Pass-Through Charge

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From: Winter Hekimyan [mailto:whekimyan@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 5:21 PM To: NELSON Ethan A Subject: Questions to answer please... Hi, I am very frustrated with this new ban and that you keep telling everyone that this was best for Eugene but the reasons you say it's best doesn't make sense. 1) Most, if not all the plastic bags used were recycled already and weren't impacting the environment like they used to year ago when recycling wasn't as important. 2) So we have to pay for paper bags as well? Why? Because they also go to the dumps eventually? The thing about that is, they are so close to being recycled material, they practically fall apart before you get them home, so I have a hard time believing they sit in a dump in such a way that really impacts anything. 3) You spoke about reusing bags (any bags, plastic, paper, cloth). So many people DO reuse plastic bags. I used them for diapers, dog droppings, trash in general, etc. I also used to reuse them repeatedly for other situations (shopping, going to the park, etc.). I would think reusing the recyclable plastic bags for trash, especially, would be better for the environment than having to buy more of the larger bags you buy at the stores (such as Glad or Hefty) to use for trash. Are they as recyclable as the plastic bags we used to get from the grocery stores? There are two other issues that I would like to address about this ban: 1) I didn't realize that anyone else was having the same problem I was with the loss of plastic bags (or free paper bags). I am also disabled and for me, having plastic bags was easier for me to carry instead of the paper bags. Cloth bags don't seem as easy for me to carry. 2) You and others claim you put this ban in place to help the environment but I have made a conscious effort to go to Springfield to do my shopping from now on, so not only is Eugene losing the revenue from myself and many others who have vowed to not shop in Eugene, but my car's emissions have increased because I now drive to Springfield rather than going less than a mile down to the local Eugene Walmart I live by. How does that help the environment? I hope you and the city council take a closer look at the faulty decision you have made with this ban and at the VERY LEAST make paper bags free or get rid of the ban all together, which would benefit many more people out there who did indeed reuse the recyclable plastic bags. * From: Clayton Pauer [mailto:claytonpauer@live.com] Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 8:42 AM To: *Eugene Mayor, City Council, and City Manager Subject: Plastic Bags I'm a manager in a big box retail store in Eugene and the plastic bag ban with the .05 charge is perfect. We too get a small amount of complaints about the "inhumanity of it all." Generally speaking, we americans hate to be inconvenienced and will cry and whine until we get used to it and then we'll be fine.