Tales From The Dark Side

Internet searches have been verrrry fruitful lately:

This article in a plastics industry web-zine gives us some nice info about polystyrene (“PS”) and plastic bag bans in California. Lotsa nice info in the short article – like, did you know that in Santa Cruz, California, their county supervisors are going forward with a recent recommendation of their own Public Works Department to ban plastic bags outright – AND to levy a 10-cent fee on paper bags that would jump to 25 cents by next year. Nice!

This article from the same plastics industry online tome describes the international plastic bag trade war going on in The Industry – Granny Git Yer Gun, The Commies Are Coming! Apparently the foreigners' bags are being dumped (no pun intended) on our economy. That ain't right - American Companies are the only ones with the proper right to trash America!! :(

While checking on some of the bag manufacturers listed in the trade war article, I went to one of their websites that has a link-button labeled, “The Truth About Plastic Bags” – I couldn’t help it – I CLICKED IT! It took me to a blank page (natch…) – but, I was using the new Google Chrome browser tho, so I found a dusty version of Microsoft’s IE, dropped in the link and found out where they keep all of the truths about plastic bags!

At the TTAPB website you can take a “Plastic Bag IQ Survey” (om*g?), in which you are asked such questions as:

=> Plastic Bags are the most common form of litter YES/NO (answer: NO, it’s cigarette butts)
=> Plastic Bags are the most common form of marine debris YES/NO (I see where this is going…)
=> Plastic bags are toxic YES/NO: ([my] answer: Eat one yourself and find out.)

And this doozy:
=> How did you reach a conclusion that plastic bags are toxic or not? It doesn’t list “I died by eating one” as a choice, but it does give you the option of choosing “Know someone that died from plastic poisoning”. I wonder how often that option is selected...? ;)

I guess the BIG LESSON here is that you shouldn’t delete your old copy of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer from your computer – you just may need it someday to visit limited-capability retro websites to have your IQ “surveyed”.

Have a good 'un!

STYROFOAM BAN IN SEASIDE!

This great news is from our Santa Cruz, CA Surfrider activists:

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Oh, yeah!

Remember we told you we posted a "support" letter from the Santa Cruz Chapter to the Seaside Mayor and City Council regarding their intention to discuss and vote on a polystyrene take-out food container ban in the city? Well, we're very pleased to report that the Seaside City Council voted in favor of the ordinance in a unanimous vote at their regular meeting of January 21!

So, this makes it 5 cities in Monterey County who have enacted polystyrene food container take-out bans: Seaside, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Carmel, and Del Ray Oaks. These cities join all 5 jurisdictions in Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, Capitola, Scotts Valley and Watsonville, that have already established similar bans!

Cool huh? And we're sure the seabirds, seals, and otters all thank all jurisdictions which have taken this important step towards reducing the "plastic plague" which threatens all forms of wildlife, too.

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CIAO Styrofoam - Don't let the door hit you on your way out!