Editorial

Legislature should handle plastic discussion

The Gresham Outlook, Jul 24, 2010 (2 Reader comments)

Mason Brock sits in the Portland City Council Chambers on Wednesday, July 14, dressed in 500 plastic bags in support of the Ban the Bag Coalition’s efforts to stop the use of plastic bags in Portland.

CHRISTOPHER ONSTOTT / Pamplin Media Group

The lowly plastic grocery bag has emerged as the next symbolic battleground as cities and states around the country rush to prove their environmental credentials.

The city of Portland, most recently, has debated – and backed away from – a proposal by Mayor Sam Adams to ban plastic bags and impose a 5-cent fee on paper sacks. Portland’s discussion of this issue follows an attempt in Seattle to establish a fee for grocery bags – a law that ultimately was overturned by voters.

Although Portland is putting the issue aside for now, there’s no doubt that the pressure to ban so-called “single-use” bags will increase. Adams is delaying action in Portland only because several state legislators say they will pursue a statewide ban on plastic grocery bags during the 2011 legislative session.

We agree with legislators that any regulation of grocery bags ought to come at the state level. It would be very confusing for grocery stores and customers if, for example, Portland, Gresham, Troutdale, Fairview and Wood Village each had their own rules about grocery sacks.

But beyond the question of statewide uniformity, there’s another reason to have legislators look at the issue: Any law that comes through the Legislature is more likely to be fully explored and to be approved with a more complete understanding of the potential consequences.

Plastic bags are not inherently evil – and paper bags may only be marginally better in terms of their environmental impact. Also, even if stores are prohibited from offering plastic bags at the checkout stand, other types of plastic bags will continue to be used throughout those stores – at the produce and meat counters and elsewhere.

We must confess a preference for paper, in part because paper bags are a better reflection of Oregon’s timber and pulp mill heritage. Also, paper is more easily recycled at curbside. But it’s also true that the best alternative, from a purely environmental perspective, is to use cloth bags that can be carried to the store over and over again.

The justifications for banning plastic bags – ranging from concerns about wildlife to litter to global warming – are serious issues, but they are hotly disputed by those who want freedom of choice. The Legislature is the best place to hear all points of view and then – if deemed necessary – proceed with a law that applies to all of Oregon, not just individual jurisdictions.

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