As editor of Alaska is a hotbed of plastic bag bans -- a trend I didn't realize until I read this story from the Anchorage Daily News.
The story, headlined "Tundra trash: Bethel prohibits plastic bags," notes that rural communities including Bethel and Hooper Bay have banned the bags.
In Alaska, bag bans are being driven by litter issues. But they don't seem to have typical litter problems. In these rural towns, citizens dispose of the bags properly. But since they don't have curb-side trash service, the bags are blowing away from unattended neighborhood Dumpsters -- aided by wildlife -- and onto the surrounding tundra or through the town.
In Hooper Bay, the story notes that a federal grant was used to buy reusable canvas bags for every household.
Bethel also is banning polystyrene take-out containers.
These small Alaska towns don't seem like good candidates for plastic bag recycling programs. Is there another alternative that they haven't considered?