Adams may propose banning plastic bags
City Commissioner Sam Adams' office confirmed this morning that he could introduce a proposal to ban plastic bags as early as this summer.
"He's concerned about the problem that all litter, but especially plastic bags, cause in our society," said Shoshanah Oppenheim, a policy analyst for Adams. "They're a nonrenewable resource. They exist forever and they're a common source of litter."
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Adams recently started an informal poll on the issue on his personal blog, commissionersam.com.
Sixty-five percent of voters in the poll favor banning plastic bags. Another 19 percent favor taxing plastic bags and using the proceeds to fund environmental projects. Only 7 percent favor the current system.
Oppenheim and Megan Pollock, another Adams staffer, have been researching the issue for months.
Last week, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance that would ban plastic bags in grocery stores with more than $2 million in annual sales. It awaits review by a supportive mayor. San Francisco would likely be the first U.S. city to have such a law.
"We're in the information gathering phase," Oppenheim said. "We're trying to engage stakeholders and figure out what's right as a policy for Portland. It may be the same (as San Francisco). It may be different."
Under the San Francisco law, grocery stores would have the option of switching to paper bags or biodegradable plastic bags.
Grocers have concerns about the availability and cost of biodegradable plastic bags, which can cost six times as much as petroleum-based bags.
mkish@bizjournals.com | 503-219-3414
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