Council votes to defer action on plastic ban

Members say they want to see results of an economic analysis before deciding

It will be at least two more months until Albuquerque leaders decide whether to proceed with a ban on plastic bags.

After public testimony from about 35 different speakers who raised concerns about everything from red chile, dog poop and “burned trees,” the City Council on Wednesday voted 6-3 to defer action on the Albuquerque Clean & Green Retail Ordinance for another 60 days.

Councilors pushing for the delay said they wanted to see the results of a pending economic analysis of the bill, arguing that it would likely affect nearly everyone in the community in some way and deserved careful consideration.

The bill would ban retailers and restaurants from distributing single-use plastic bags and nonrecyclable single-use carryout food containers. It

would also limit the use of single-use plastic straws.

Councilors Isaac Benton, Cynthia Borrego, Pat Davis and Diane Gibson, all Democrats, co-sponsored the legislation. Borrego was the only member of the group to vote in favor of the 60-day deferral proposed by Councilor Don Harris.

“I’ve found anywhere in life … there’s a conflict in doing something fast and doing something right,” Harris said. “And I really want to do this right.”

But Davis contended that sponsors and their staff members had already done some research to understand the impact and said a shorter deferral of 30 days would ensure continued momentum and “sense of urgency.” Gibson urged quicker action, too. “What this comes down to, to me, is convenience versus … environmental stewardship. While the economic analysis is being done, there is no way they can quantify the harm that’s being done to animal life” and other environmental and health impacts, she said.

Both supporters and opponents turned out Wednesday to speak. The bill’s sponsors have credited a group of grade-schoolers who spoke at a December Council meeting for helping to inspire the proposal, and many young children showed up Wednesday to recommend passage, arguing they want a cleaner, healthier community.

Satori Arellano and Andrea Moreno from Mountain View Private School spoke about their volunteer trash pickups around Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, saying that the once-a-month efforts had yielded more than 200 bags of trash in one year.

“That’s a lot of trash. This is not healthy for our environment,” Moreno said.

Added Arellano: “We need to change something; it starts here and with us. Plastic is so harmful to our water and planet.”

One student from Mountain Mahogany Community School urged the council to act to protect the future that “right now looks like burned trees and plastic waste everywhere.”

Others who identified themselves as moms, college students, and members of environmental groups echoed the sentiments.

Hannah Leonard, a local veterinarian, spoke in favor of the bill alongside her young son.

“I will consent that change is difficult, but I do feel it’s imperative we reconsider our ways and that we evolve. And I’m encouraged, and feel that this is our chance for Albuquerque to be part of a solution, which feels really good,” she said.

But a few restaurateurs, as well as representatives from the New Mexico Restaurant Association and the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, related their concerns to the Council, asking for more study and possible alternatives they think would be less onerous — especially on small businesses they argued would be disproportionately impacted.

Dan Garcia of Garcia’s Kitchen said that converting to compliant bags and to-go containers would cost the local restaurant chain an estimated $250,000 a year. He also said paper bags and recyclable togo containers may not work well with New Mexican food.

“We’ve tried to figure out, like, if you had some chile in here and chile spills, if it’s a paper sack, it’s going to fall through the paper sack,” he said.

Sherman McCorkle, a member of the chamber of commerce, said other cities have restricted plastic bans in a less drastic way.

“The chamber very much appreciates and respects the intent of this proposed ordinance, but an outright ban on all these items might not be the best way to proceed,” he said.

Paul Gessing of the Rio Grande Foundation, a libertarian-leaning think tank, raised several concerns, including what it meant for cleaning up after canine companions.

“Good luck trying to pick up steaming hot dog poop with a paper bag,” he said.