Paper Bags

Legislation that would have made Baltimore the second city in the nation to ban plastic bags at grocery stores and retail chains was killed by the full City Council last night. Intended to keep plastic bags from clogging waterways, the proposal would have required large stores - those with $500,000 or more in gross revenue - to bag groceries in paper or reusable bags only. Days after it was approved by a committee, the full council voted against the proposal, 11-3. "I know there has been a lot of pressure on this bill," City Councilman James B. Kraft, the lead sponsor, said of opponents who have lobbied against the measure.

 In a setback for environmentalists, a House committee killed a bill Saturday that would have required counties to impose a fee on disposable plastic and paper bags given out by stores to carry merchandise. The Economic Matters Committee voted 14-9 to disapprove the measure, sponsored by Del. Mary Washington, a Baltimore Democrat. The bill had earlier been passed by the Environmental Affairs Committee but required the approval of both panels. The legislation would have placed a 5-cent fee on bags - with exceptions for such items as carry-out food and dry-cleaning - and would have let the stores retain one cent of the fee to compensate for administrative costs.

An Annapolis city council member formally introduced legislation last night to outlaw the use of plastic bags in all retail establishments within the city limits. Under the bill, merchants would have to issue recyclable paper bags or reusable bags or face a fine of up to $500. The aim of the ordinance is to protect the environment, said Alderman Samuel E. Shropshire, the bill's sponsor. "Plastic bags are ending up in landfills and blowing around in the wind and ending up in waterways.

In a setback for environmentalists, a House committee killed a bill Saturday that would have enabled counties to impose a fee on disposable plastic and paper bags given out by stores to carry merchandise. The Economic Matters Committee voted 14-9 to disapprove the measure, sponsored by Del. Mary Washington, a Baltimore Democrat. The bill had earlier been passed by the Environmental Affairs Committee but required the approval of both panels. The legislation would have placed a 5-cent fee on bags – with exceptions for such items as carry-out food and dry-cleaning – and would have let the stores retain one cent of the fee to compensate for administrative costs.

Environmentalists and business owners packed the Annapolis city council chambers last night to tell their sides on a proposed citywide ban on plastic bags at a public hearing, with grocery chains also weighing in on an issue that would change the way they do business. Under the legislation, sponsored by Alderman Samuel E. Shropshire, all retailers and restaurants would have to provide recyclable paper bags or reusable bags or be fined up to $500.

A group of Annapolis business owners expressed support yesterday for a bill that would ban plastic bags from use at city retail outlets, while acknowledging the move could negatively affect their bottom lines. "If little shops like us are changing, I think the bigger shops can follow suit," said Gary Amoth, owner of the Hard Bean Coffee and Booksellers in downtown Annapolis. He estimated it would cost him a penny and a half more to begin buying paper bags. "It's a bit more expensive for me to do, there's no question," Amoth said.

Baltimore's pawnbrokers and dealers in secondhand merchandise will to have e-mail the city Police Department daily photographs and descriptions of the jewelry, televisions and other items they receive to comply with a law passed yesterday evening by the City Council. The new electronic dispatches will enable detectives to create a database of pawned wares in the city that they hope will help them solve more thefts. Currently the city's 37 pawnshops and 78 secondhand dealers mail paper copies of those reports to detectives.

As an employee at a grocery store in Montgomery County, I am pleased with the implementation of the new bag tax, a law that initially began in Washington. I think that it would be beneficial for Baltimore County, as well as other Maryland counties, to study the idea and consider passing an anti-litter tax. This law would have a positive impact because stores will have to order less bags. Typically, a case of plastic bags costs about $30; paper bags are even more costly. Furthermore, customers will be more mindful about not wasting bags if they have to pay for each one. They will likewise be encouraged to take their reusable bags back to the store to do their shopping.

The gas station owner who shot and killed one of three would-be robbers at the Village of Cross Keys last week told police that the men opened his car door, beat him and then grabbed paper bags filled with thousands of dollars, according to court papers made public yesterday. Mark A. Beckwith, 57, also told police that one of the men had a gun, charging documents show. Beckwith pulled out a 9 mm Glock semiautomatic pistol and fired at his assailants 16 times, the documents show. Keith D. Love, 22, was fatally wounded in the robbery, which occurred about 2 p.m. Friday in a parking lot near a Williams-Sonoma store.

In a setback for environmentalists, a House committee killed a bill Saturday that would have enabled counties to impose a fee on disposable plastic and paper bags given out by stores to carry merchandise. The Economic Matters Committee voted 14-9 to disapprove the measure, sponsored by Del. Mary Washington, a Baltimore Democrat. The bill had earlier been passed by the Environmental Affairs Committee but required the approval of both panels. The legislation would have placed a 5-cent fee on bags – with exceptions for such items as carry-out food and dry-cleaning – and would have let the stores retain one cent of the fee to compensate for administrative costs.

With limited materials, a patriotic theme, and their own ingenuity, students at The Harbour School put together their ninth annual Fourth of July parade of paper floats Tuesday. Working on a tight schedule, each class at the Owings Mills school for children with learning and developmental disabilities built their entries, bearing in mind this year's "O Say Can You See" theme. With teachers' supply carts for wheels, they marched their sparkling displays before a panel of judges. "We give them a small bag of supplies but no money," said Martha Schneider, program director at the Owings Mills school, whose 106 students range in age from 6 to 21 years.

Montrease Lamback of Gwynn Oak stood on the sidelines and snapped photos as her 2-year-old son, Tyler, slipped plastic Easter eggs into his green felt basket. The eggs secured, Tyler pulled them back out, tossed some on the ground, handed a few to other children and then stopped midhunt to admire what remained of his colorful collection. The adventure for Tyler and hundreds of other children Saturday was part of the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore 's annual Bunny Bonanzoo.

As an employee at a grocery store in Montgomery County, I am pleased with the implementation of the new bag tax, a law that initially began in Washington. I think that it would be beneficial for Baltimore County, as well as other Maryland counties, to study the idea and consider passing an anti-litter tax. This law would have a positive impact because stores will have to order less bags. Typically, a case of plastic bags costs about $30; paper bags are even more costly. Furthermore, customers will be more mindful about not wasting bags if they have to pay for each one. They will likewise be encouraged to take their reusable bags back to the store to do their shopping.

A suspicious package reported to police Friday morning on the corner of North Charles and East Chase Streets contained nothing but clothing, police said in the afternoon. Police were called to the intersection around 9:20 a.m., after receiving a 911 call reporting a "large, suspicious paper bag," said Det. Kevin Brown, a police spokesman. Officers investigated the package and found only clothing inside, he said. "It was suspicious but there's nothing to it," Brown said. jtorbati@baltsun.

Baltimore County begins single-stream recycling Monday, allowing a new assortment of materials to be placed in a single bin for pickup. Residents can use containers up to 34-gallon capacity, trash cans up to 34-gallon capacity or small cardboard boxes - not plastic bags. Paper and cardboard may also be tied in bundles with nonplastic string or placed in paper bags. Officials ask that residents remove lids and not use wheeled containers. And so they know it's for recycling, mark the containers with an "X" or "recycle," or pick up a sticker from Baltimore County senior centers or public libraries or the trash and recycling drop-off centers in White Marsh, Cockeysville, and Halethorpe.

Education, not fee, is the answer for shopping bags It is not surprising that the proposal to charge twenty-five cents a bag for plastic and paper shopping bags ran into a storm of opposition in the City Council because of the burden the surcharge would place on poor and elderly shoppers in Baltimore ("A united cry of 'no' to shopping bag fee," June 17). Nevertheless, the catastrophe that both plastic and paper bags pose to the world's environment is huge, and people all over the world are seeking solutions.

ISSUE: -- The Annapolis city council is scheduled to hear next month legislation that would outlaw common plastic bags at grocery stores, pharmacies, clothing shops and other retailers in hopes of reducing litter and protecting the environment. "Banning plastic is the right way to go. We can live without plastic checkout bags," said the sponsor of the Annapolis ordinance, Alderman Samuel E. Shropshire. In taking up the paper-versus-plastic question, Baltimore and Annapolis are joining a handful of cities questioning the wisdom of widespread use of the bags.

Just when plastic bags seemed to have won the contest for customer preference against their chief competitor, paper, a movement has sprung up in Maryland and around the country to disqualify the petroleum-based plastics on environmental grounds. Indeed, those ubiquitous flimsy shopping sacks are a scourge on the landscape, particularly in waterfront communities such as Annapolis and Baltimore, where officials are considering banning plastic bags largely because of the impact on waterfowl and marine life.

Sure, you could hoard your Thanksgiving leftovers and just eat them yourself over the next couple of weeks. But is that really in the spirit of the season? Mr. Flip says you need to share them. Here's his idea: Take those leftovers, put them in paper bags - Mr. Flip has plenty you could use - and give them to some people who could truly benefit from turkey, stuffing or sweet potatoes. Of course, Mr. Flip has suggestions: * Sports Illustrated swimsuit models. Yes, they are lovely women, but so skinny.

Baltimore's pawnbrokers and dealers in secondhand merchandise will to have e-mail the city Police Department daily photographs and descriptions of the jewelry, televisions and other items they receive to comply with a law passed yesterday evening by the City Council. The new electronic dispatches will enable detectives to create a database of pawned wares in the city that they hope will help them solve more thefts. Currently the city's 37 pawnshops and 78 secondhand dealers mail paper copies of those reports to detectives.