Oregon Democrats Plot Job Killing Plastic Bag Ban. Great Job, Democrats!!

February 3, 2010

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Apparently it wasn’t SAVING jobs that Oregon democrats were talking about when they proclaimed this (illegal) session would be about, “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!” It was about destroying them. 

True to form then, after charting the course for 20% tax increases on business and individuals along with a sales tax on widgets made by corporations, the democrats are in Salem seeking to destroy a whole industry: the plastic bag industry in Oregon.
And so today at a hearing in Salem good intentions once again were trotted out as a policy answer to a perceived “problem” with plastic bags in Oregon.The latest politico in Oregon to take up the cause against plastic bags is Senator Mark Hass. This should go down as the moment when Senator Hass, who heretofore has been upheld by the left as one of its brightest lights, had his ‘lights’ snuffed out by facts and logic.
  • Senator Hass today in Salem claimed Oregon’s plastic bag industry uses 150,000 barrels of oil to create plastic grocery bags. The folks who actually  make plastic grocery bags say the bags are made from “ethane which is a waste product from domestically produced natural gas. If the ethane is not used to make plastic bags, it will have to be burned off.” 
  • Senator Hass said that sea turtles and sea mammals eat plastic bags, but the folks who have actually investigated this say the sea turtle pictured (see nearby) is the only case in which this has been alleged. Sea mammals HAVE been pictured, however, eating plastic “netting,” not plastic bags.
  • Senator Hass said that nobody recycles plastic bags, but considering plastic grocery bags are made from recycled materials also and can be returned to the store to be further recycled, that hardly seems like a logical argument. 
  • Senator Hass said today that plastic bags don’t decompose. That is true. But they also sequester carbon. Paper bags emit methane when they decompose. 
  • Senator Hass said plastic bags clog up land fills. That’s what land fills are for: waste. Plastic bags take up a wee spot. 0.4% of landfills are plastic bags. 
And that’s just for openers.
What about the potential for killing jobs in Oregon? Here are some of companies in Oregon that make plastic bags. A couple you’ll see don’t make “grocery” bags but other kinds. One makes bags for the international market. All have been hurt by misguided plastic bag bans.


Buck Rock Enterprises – Trail, OR
Manufacturer
Company Profile: Custom manufacturer of plastic bags, pouches, & webbing straps. Materials include lightweight nylons to heavy ballistic, a variety of weights of fabrics & sizes of products. Capabilities include full pattern-making, cutting, & sewing capabilities as well as finishing hardware.
Pacific Packaging – Portland, OR -no grocery bags
Distributor, Manufacturer, Custom Manufacturer
Company Profile: Manufacturer & distributor of printed plastic handle bags & pouches. Bags & pouches are available in materials including OPP, PET, LLDPE & LDPE. Custom reverse, rotogravure & flexographic printing available in up to nine colors. Options include carry holes, de-gassing valves, handles, tape seals, spouts,
Pak-Sel – Portland, OR no grocery bags
Distributor, Manufacturer
Plastimayd – Oregon City, OR
Manufacturer, Custom Manufacturer, Service Company
Company Profile: Flexible Vinyl Canvas & Reinforced Vinyl Products
ecoSolutions Intl. – Ashland, OR 9 employees
Manufacturer, Custom Manufacturer
Company Profile: Sourcing, developing & marketing eco-friendly products & materials. Stretch wrap, biodegradable shopping bags, compostable bags & reusable bags.
xpedx – Portland, OR
Distributor
Company Profile: Distributor Of Adhesives, Plastic Bags, Film, Tape
Omnipak Corp. – Portland, OR
Distributor
Company Profile: Distributor of of shipping labels, poly bags, packaging materials, truck placards & janitorial supplies. 
Packaging Plus – Corvallis, OR
Custom Manufacturer, Service Company
Company Profile: Assembly & packaging, testing, inspection, warehouseing, remanufacturing, labeling, package design, prototyping, assembly, fulfillment, cutting, glueing, soldering, stapling Service
RJS Industrial Distributing – Eugene, OR
Distributor, Manufacturers’ Rep
Company Profile: Distributor & rep of plastic bags
Bagit System – Dundee, OR
Manufacturer
Company Profile: Manufacturer Of Plastic Bags
Allstate Plastic Bags – Portland, OR
Manufacturer under 50 employees/ most business over seas
Company Profile: Manufacturer Of Plastic Bags
McDowell Bag Co. – Portland, OR
Distributor, Custom Manufacturer
Company Profile: Distributor Of Bags
Friedman Bag Co. – Portland, OR
Manufacturer
Company Profile: Manufacturer of burlap bags.

NWmaterialsmart – Portland, OR
Service Company
Company Profile: New & used materials, free & low cost, residuals, reusable & recyclable surplus, buy, sell trade; Service   
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