The fall out from Tuesday's vote on Seattle's plastic bag tax continues.  Many articles cite the unfairness on lower income indivduals or the public mistrust of where the tax funds would go.  It will be interesting to continue to monitor this debate as more and more cities consider how to approach their plastic bag problems.  The following is a collection of articles from the New

"House Bill 15, now law with the addition of Governor Markell's signature, calls for virtually all stores that hand out plastic grocery-type bags to customers to accept the bags back for recycling by August first of next year.

"Campaigners in Dunedin collected enough plastic bags from shoppers in less than 5 hours to create a 70-metre long chain, as part of Saturday's 'Plastic Bags Aren't Free Day'.  Onlookers were just astounded by the chain,” said DSSCF co-organiser, Celia Neilson.

"Over one hundred Magnetic Island State (primary) School students have signed a petition asking Townsville City Council to ban the use of plastic shopping bags on the Magnetic Island.  For the record the petition to Townsville City Council reads: "We, the

"The forces behind the challenge are it again, and this round of competition is about expanding the idea. This time, it’s between 31 different towns in the 2009 Colorado Association of Ski Towns Reusable Bag Challenge.

"The town took a step toward joining Westport as the only town in the state to ban most plastic grocery and retail bags, the Connecticut Post reported. 

Stores in New Zealand recently began charging for plastic bags.  As a result, the major retailers are reporting shifts in the buying habits of their customers.  "At Victoria Park New World this week, several customers held their shopping in their hands, having declined to pay for a bag.

The Scientific American Podcast this week is reviewing whether or not plastic bag bans work.  Forcusing on the bag ban in China, the podcast considers whether or not customers are really using less bags, and more importantly, whether or not there is less plastic bag waste and pollution as a result of the bans.  "Yet, a survey by the International Packaging Assocation found that t

Fairfield, Connecticut has recently voted to ban plastic bags.  "Plastic checkout bags used by stores and organizations here are now a step closer to extinction, as the town is poised to become the second in the state to ban the distribution of plastic bags at checkout counters.  Heeding arguments that disposal of the plastic bags harms the environment, the town's Reusable Bag Or

Writing for the Long Island Examiner, Soozy G.