Plastic bag ban does have merit

Our family was pleased to read Terri Thomas’ guest opinion piece entitled: “It’s time to seriously address plastic bag issue,” Dec. 29 in Other Views, The Olympian. Thank you for printing it. I recall when pull-tabs were introduced on aluminum cans. At first they were novel, useful and efficient. Very soon they became a ubiquitous eyesore. At the time I thought, “This was a long-term bad idea and we will never be rid of them.” However, steps were taken and I never see these anymore. Perhaps this can soon be the fate of plastic bags also. Seattle’s stopped single-use plastic bag retail distribution this year. Tom Watson, Ecoconsumer, in The Seattle Times, also on Dec. 29, noted that “Plastic-bag bans have also been adopted in Edmonds, Mukilteo, Bellingham, Bainbridge Island, Issaquah, Port Townsend and Portland.”

In 2010 the movie “Bag It – Is Your Life Too Plastic?” was produced. We saw this on our local TCTV and then took out a copy from the library. Plastic bags have had their day. Let’s ban their use in Thurston County. There will be some necessary adjustments and many rewards.