A ban on disposable plastic shopping bags in Bishop?

Citing the waste and the sneaky ability to be picked up by the wind and placed in hard to get to spots, cities around the world are moving toward bans on disposable plastic shopping bags. In California, major cities like San Francisco and Oakland have already banned the bags. The LA City Council approved a ban that starts in 2010. Will Bishop follow suit?

At the recent city council candidates forum all five of the candidates present said that they would consider an ordinance to outlaw the pesky, but convenient plastic shopping bags.

No one made a possible ban a campaign promise, but when asked if they would support a bag ban, all five said they would.

Candidate Laura Smith said that she already has an assortment of cloth bags that she uses when she goes shopping.

Candidate David Stottlemyre said that he could do without them. He too said he would consider a ban if it were presented to the council.

Incumbent Martin Smiley Connolly supported a ban in order to save millions of fish that get tangled up and drown when the bags get into lakes and streams.

Incumbent Susan Cullen said that she was not opposed to a ban, but would want to see what the people of Bishop thought about the ban first.

Candidate Ted Gardner said hed support a ban on the bags and go further to encourage everyone to recycle more. The amount of cardboard that goes into the dump is amazing, he said.

In this council election, set for March third, three seats are up for election. Perhaps its just talk on the campaign trail, but perhaps this issue will come back again after the election.