Do you live in the City of Austin? Disgusted by the city council’s encroachment of liberty by attempting to ban plastic and paper grocery bags? Then it’s time to take action.

Since August, the Austin City Council has attempted to take drastic steps to interfere in the free market by banning all plastic and paper bags used at grocery stores inside Austin’s city limits. It’s environmentalism in its absolute worst form – a policy originating from liberal havens San Francisco, CA and Portland, OR.

This nauseating possibility of government intervention is made worse by the fact that the City of Austin is distorting the facts on the cost impact a plastic bag ban would even have. According to Texas Watchdog, the city “overstated the amount and cost impact of plastic bags by about 366%”.

All this for a source of litter that doesn’t even rank in the top 10 pieces of trash found on our highways.

Fortunately for Austin residents, there is something that can be done to stop this atrocious policy before it’s put into place.

On Monday, January 30th at 6pm, the City of Austin is holding a hearing on the ban at Austin City Hall. All citizens are welcome to attend, and we highly encourage you to voice your opposition to the proposed ordinance.

Additionally, you can also participate by calling in via telephone at 888-886-6603 ext. 18004#.

If you can’t attend or call in, please sign the petition at BagTheBan.com and voice your opposition to the ban on the City’s website: SpeakUpAustin.org.

Three points you can raise:

  1. This is an overreach of government into the free market. Stores should decide for themselves not to carry plastic or paper bags.
  2. Plastic grocery bags make up only 0.5% of the state’s waste stream, while having the lowest environmental impacts of all bags considered.
  3. Reusable cloth grocery bags pose a “serious threat to the public health, especially from coliform bacteria including E. Coli” according to a University of Arizona study.

City of Austin Plastic Bag Hearing:

Date: Monday, January 30th

Time: 6:00pm

Location: Austin City Hall, in the Council Chambers

Address: 301 W. 2nd Street, Austin, TX 78701

 

Telephone: 888-886-6603 ext. 18004#

 

Petition: BagTheBan.com

Dustin Matocha

Dustin Matocha is the CFO and COO of Texas Scorecard. Dustin graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Management, a BA in Government, and a minor in Marketing. He’s a self-described Corvette enthusiast, baseball purist, tech geek and growing connoisseur of local craft beer.

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