Save California, Ban Environmentalists

If California legislators really wanted to reduce unnecessary paper consumption, they should consider printing fewer nonsense bills.

Daniel Greenfield  "The 6-foot-tall man dressed as a giant receipt stood on a stool next to the emblem of the State Capitol in Sacramento. He was there because Assemblyman Phil Ting of San Fran wanted to ban receipts.

"California had a great ban streak going. It had already banned plastic bags, straws and dog breeders. Assemblyman Ting, who had only been known for wearing bow ties, had declared war on receipts.

"And Ting had his aide wear a giant receipt to show how bad receipts were for the environment. And how better to crusade for the environment than by printing up a receipt 100,000 times normal size?

Photo added by TD

"According to Ting’s people, receipts not only wasted trees and water, but were actually toxic. The San Francisco Democrat explained that receipts were coated in chemicals that weren’t allowed in baby bottles. It’s probably a good thing then that receipts don’t go inside baby bottles. Or inside babies.

"There was even a hashtag, #SkiptheSlip.

"In an extraordinary setback for stupid bans, Ting’s receipt ban bill never made it to the floor. "But Ting tweeted that he was “glad to have raised awareness about the health & environmental harm receipts can cause. Change often takes time.” Next time around, the receipt bill ban will succeed." . .  .

California ban may force shoppers to give private email or text info to every store - If enacted, AB 161 would prohibit large businesses from issuing paper receipts to their customers

California’s Crusade Against Receipts Is Pointless  

"Can grandstanding empty the oceans of plastics and the landfills of trash?

For the last five years, California's been conducting an experiment to find out. In 2016, the state enacted a limited plastic-bag ban. This year, a new law forbids most restaurants from distributing plastic straws unless requested by a customer. Next up? A San Francisco lawmaker has introduced legislation to ban paper receipts unless a customer specifically asks for one. If adopted, proponents argue, the environmental and health benefits will be significant.
"In reality, the “Skip the Slip” measure would have almost no impact on either. Instead, like the plastic-straw ban that preceded it, and which it emulates, the receipt ban is simply another low-impact environmental campaign that asks little of Californians and will accomplish less. Worse, it diverts attention and effort from bigger and far more pressing waste and recycling issues that are negatively impacting the state right now." . . .