By Sarah R. Baker
In Washington, a bill (SB 5432) under consideration would, if adopted, prohibit a retail store owner or operator from providing a carryout bag to a customer, unless it is compostable plastic, recyclable paper, or a reusable.
Various cities and counties have already elected to impose versions of this ban on their own. For example, legislation in Seattle, passed last July, requires retail stores to provide only paper and reusable, recyclable bags to customers. They also must charge a minimum of five cents per bag.
Five out of seven Port Angeles City Council members agreed on Nov. 7 to discuss a prohibition of plastic bags at a “future meeting,” according to the Peninsula Daily News. This would be the second anti-plastic bag initiative to be passed on the Olympic Peninsula, following Port Townsend’s decision last July.
A ban on plastic bags considers a more environmentally-conscious community. According to figures cited by the United Nations, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans by 2050.
Citizens in Seattle last July who did not support the ban highlighted that plastic bags make up only one half percent of the U.S. waste stream, and are recyclable.
However, a study by the Washington Post in 2011 concludes that plastic bags are rarely recycled, and when they are, they never completely biodegrade.
Shop owners are concerned that a ban on plastic bags could lead to more stealing, because if customers are not required to use a plastic bag and do not want to pay for a paper one, they could be hard to tell apart from shoplifters who are carrying unpaid goods out the door.
Whether or not a ban is imposed in Port Angeles, a State bill is in the works. If it passes, it would allow existing bans to remain in effect until 2020, and requires any new local legislation be consistent with the bill’s requirements.