Plastic bags may be disappearing from Columbia checkout aisles this year. The Energy and Environment Commission presented its findings about the proposed ban on Tuesday night, after the city council referred the measure to the commission in October.
The proposed ordinance would require Columbia residents to bring their own reusable bags or pay ten cents for paper bags in grocery stores. The ten cent fee for paper bags is meant to discourage use, compensate stores and to cover the cost of WIC or SNAP customers, who are exempt from paying the fee. Energy and Environment Commission member Alyce Turner said the ban is only partial.
“This is not a plastics ban, there’s going to be plastic bags at the store, but it’s going to be in the meat area or the vegetable area,” Turner said.
The ordinance will also allow restaurants and retailers to continue distributing plastic bags.
Members of the Sierra Club and Missouri River Relief encouraged residents to think about the impact plastic bags have on the environment. Melanie Cheney, assistant program manager of Missouri River Relief said that single-use plastic bags are the most common item found on the Missouri River.
“You can take a walk down to pretty much any creek in Columbia and this is pretty much what you’re going to find,” Cheney said.
Residents at the meeting agreed that plastic bags were a problem, but that providing more environmental education, recycling options and preventing litter were more serious issues. But Turner said recycling options are not enough for the city.
“Only 12 percent of the approximately 59 million plastic bags that we create in Columbia are recycled,” Turner said.
Residents are still divided over the issue. Many who spoke at the meeting said even though they do recycle, they want the option to make their own decision about which bags they do or don’t use, rather than leaving that up to the government to decide.
The ordinance is scheduled for its first reading at the city council meeting on February 16.
