Portland To Vote This Week on Plastic Bag Ban

The ordinance is expected to pass with ease and enforcement would begin in less than three months.

July 18, 2011

PORTLAND, Ore. - Beginning October 15, plastic bags could become obsolete in Portland. Last week Mayor Sam Adams proposed an ordinance to ban plastic bags that is expected to easily win City Council approval.

The Oregonian writes that the new ordinance would ban plastic bags at convenience stores and grocery stores with $2 million or more in annual gross sales and of retailers that have a pharmacy and at least 10,000 square feet, such as Target and Rite Aid. The ordinance would exempt plastic grocery bags used for produce, bulk food and meat, notes the newspaper.

Adams had backed off his plan to wait and see what the state Legislature would do on a proposed statewide ban. However, the legislative session adjourned with no action. Had the measure passed, Oregon would€™ve become the first state to enact a statewide ban on plastic bags. California rejected a similar ban in September.

Hilex Poly, a major U.S. manufacturer of plastic bags, called Portland's proposed ban expected, yet bad public policy. "Hilex Poly is committed to working with the recycling industry, policy-makers and other stakeholders to develop a statewide recycling solution €" and that's where the company's focus is at this time," said spokeswoman Anna Richter Taylor.

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