Baltimore could become the latest city to outlaw plastic bags

BALTIMORE _ Hundreds of U.S. cities and counties and two states have outlawed plastic bags at checkout counters since the Baltimore City Council first considered a ban in 2006. More than a decade later, a proposal to rid the city of them could finally be ripe for passage.

A supermajority of the young and progressive council is backing legislation that would forbid grocers and other retailers from providing plastic bags at checkout. It also would require they charge a nickel when giving customers bags of any other type.

The bill’s chief aim is to eliminate one of the most common types of litter, a scourge of waterways that takes decades or centuries to break down. But proponents say the bag fee is just as important as the plastic ban, encouraging shoppers to bring reusable bags to the store instead of simply replacing plastic with paper or some other disposable material.

“We don’t want to just drive increased consumption of paper bags,” said Ashley Van Stone, executive director of Trash Free Maryland. “We want to drive (waste) reduction across the board. And we want to see plastic bags out of our environment.”

Jerry Gordon, owner of Eddie’s Market in Charles Village, admits it’s an admirable goal and a potentially effective solution.

“I think it will change people’s behavior,” the grocer said.

But he nonetheless suggested a heated debate over the policy and its economic impact could be ahead. Many city retailers felt burned by a 2-cent tax the city passed on bottled beverages 2010, and raised to 5 cents in 2012. Now, some say a switch to paper bags could quadruple their costs and make them less competitive with county and online retailers.

“To me, it’s government getting involved where they don’t need to be,” Gordon said.

Baltimore was once at the forefront of the debate on environmental policies, including proposed bans on polystyrene foam and plastic bags. But the efforts failed for various reasons, until a foam ban that takes affect in October was passed last year.

(After Baltimore approved its law banning foam food and drink containers, Maryland became the first state to approve a foam ban this spring. The statewide measure goes into effect next July.)

The City Council considered bag bans eight times, approving the idea once, in 2014. It had the support of Bernard C. “Jack” Young, then council president and now mayor. But former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-blake vetoed it, noting the council switched from a bag fee to a ban at the last minute without needed public input.

Since then, bag bans and/or fees have gone into effect across two states and in more than 450 jurisdictions across the country, including in Westminster, Chestertown and Montgomery County in Maryland.

City Councilman Bill Henry, the plastic bag bill’s lead sponsor, said he introduced the proposal again because of wide support on the council, and from Mayor Young. Ten of the council’s 15 members are sponsoring the legislation.