Tribune Spanks Mike Tryon for Plastic Bag Bill Sponsorship- Senate Roll Call

Shredded plastic bags decorate trees on Pyott Road near the Lake in the Hills Airport.

The Chicago Tribune wrote an editorial on Tuesday that took State Rep. Mike Tryon and State Senator Terry Link to the wood shed.

Criticized as excessive regulation was their plan to cut down on plastic bag waste.

But it “heaps government regulation on a problem best solved by us: consumers,” the editorial writers say.

“It cracks down on the manufacturers of plastic bags, adds new regulations to businesses that use the bags, creates a pile of mandatory reporting requirements and enlists the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency as “Enforcer…”

Here’s how the Tribune summarizes the legislation:

  • Require manufacturers of plastic bags and plastic wrap to register annually with the IEPA and pay a $500 fee.
  • Require manufacturers of plastic bags to print their company names on the bags.
  • Require manufacturers of plastic bags to create and maintain a plan for collecting and recycling plastic bags and submit their plan to the IEPA. That plan must include collection locations and a public education campaign.
  • Require manufacturers of plastic bags to submit a report to the IEPA annually with a description of recycling and collection efforts, including weight in pounds of the bags — and plastic wrap — collected.
  • [Requires] Retailers — from your local grocer to your Chinese carry-out — would be prohibited from buying plastic bags from manufacturers who aren’t following all the rules.

The editorial concludes:

“It gets worse.

“Retailers — from your local grocer to your Chinese carry-out — would be prohibited from buying plastic bags from manufacturers who aren’t following all the rules.

“You wonder how government gets so big?

“How state statute books grow by the inch each year?

“How spending goes up here and there, everywhere?

“This is how.”

The bill has passed the Illinois Senate and is not in the House.

It’s up to Rep. Tryon to determine what happens to it.

Looking at the Senate Roll Call below, I note that the two Senators representing McHenry County–Pam Althoff and Dan Duffy–voted against the bill.  Chris Lauzen, who represents much of Mike Tryon’s also voted against the legislation.

Plastic bag re-cycling Senate Bill 3442's Senate Roll Call.


Comments

Tribune Spanks Mike Tryon for Plastic Bag Bill Sponsorship- Senate Roll Call — 6 Comments

  1. Why not just require places that use X amount of plastic bags to recycle them?

    Walmart already recycles plastic bags and I take most of them there (I do keep some for garbage bags in the garage).

  2. http://www.metabolix.com/

    Metabolix has a solution .

    They already make bags that are plant based and biodegrade.

    Their product Mirel is certified to biodegrade in soil and water environments, as well as home composting and industrial composting facilities (in areas where such facilities are available).

    This is a plant based product.

    Made of corn or waste plant material.

    It may cost a few pennies more per box so until the Government forces stores to use it, we will still have the bags floating endlessly in our environment

  3. Yes there are alternatives to plastic and the product above that Justin speaks of is a great idea.

    I saw a TV program wherein they profiled plant based shopping bags.

    I’m sure it was probably the same company.

    Until governments mandate change, companies will cheap out.

    Mike Tryon and others should be contacting the company and championing this to the state legislature.

    I applaud people that vote for the environment.

  4. You think he is for the environment?

    What a laugh.

    This man is a complete useless you know what.

    He actually believes that the costly forced fluoridation of our water supply is good for us.

    Just ask him.

  5. Cindy – Mike received his degree in Environmental Science and has been involved with a water laboratory for over 20 years. I’m pretty sure he knows a few things about the environment.

    Pretty sure he cares too.

    Also, that is a federal regulation required by the Safe Drinking Water Act.

    What a laugh.

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