City councilmember Seth Fleetwood drafted an ordinance that would ban plastic bags distributed at businesses in Whatcom County and require retailers to charge 5 cents for every paper bag used. This is similar to a Seattle ordinance that requires retailers to charge 10 cents per plastic bag.
The goal is to encourage shoppers to use more environmentally friendly options, such as reusable cloth bags or paper bags that can be recycled.
This ordinance is a great idea and a step forward in making Whatcom County green. It has a positive impact on the environment with little inconvenience to the consumer.
Shoppers who do not wish to carry their own reusable bags or forget to bring them will still have paper ones available to them for a small fee.
Plastic bags are smaller and cannot carry as much as the larger paper ones. They break easier and often have to be double-bagged.
They are more difficult to pack into your car because they have no structure and fall all over the place.
Plastic bags have no real advantage over paper ones, and they are not recyclable. Some businesses, such as Trader Joes in Bellingham and the Public Market, already use paper bags only.
The ordinance also has no consequence for business owners because the consumer pays the fee.
If passed, businesses would have 180 days to switch from plastic bags, giving them about six months to get rid of any extra supplies they may have in stock.
Community members, such as the Bellingham chapter of the Surfrider foundation are already pushing this ordinance.
We urge Whatcom County residents to use reusable bags, rather than waste 22 million plastic ones that will just end up in the ocean or landfills.
