The headline looks wonderful: "Rockland passes single-use plastic bag ban, Styrofoam ban" with a unanimous council vote (PenBay Pilot, March 12, 2018). 

 

The styrofoam ban certainly is wonderful, but the ban on plastic bags, without an incentivizing paper bag fee, is not. If this fee does not get added to the ordinance, we will be greenwashing--having created a "feel-good" measure where Rockland can claim to care about the environment, while in reality perpetuating more environmental harm than we did before the plastic bag ban.

 

There is no doubt that banning single-use plastic bags is good for the animals who choke on them, and will create a decrease in plastic bag litter. But by simply replacing plastic with paper, and handing out these paper bags for free, our city will increase its carbon footprint and contribution to global warming. Even at 30% recycled content, cradle-to-grave studies show paper bags have much more global warming potential and resource use than a single-use plastic bag. And even at 100% recycled content, paper bags still take a tremendous amount of energy and water to produce. 

 

Here in Maine, we have one of the highest rates of asthma in the United States, much of which is caused by being the "tailpipe of the country." We should not be contributing further to our own health issues by increasing our use of resource-heavy paper bags.

 

The proven way to change people's habits and best incentivize use of reusable bags, therefore truly reducing our contribution to pollution, is having a small paper bag fee. At the March 12 Rockland City Council meeting, a few Main Street business owners and those who claim to represent local business interests were outspoken about not wanting a paper bag fee. It is important to have this dialog and hear their thoughts. However, business fears and interests do not always, nor often, coincide with environmentally sound policies.

 

Some good has come out of this: I feel heartened and hopeful that far more local businesses, organizations and individuals were in favor of the paper bag fee to accompany the plastic bag ban, than against it. Grassroots energy is growing in this city! Unfortunately, Council took the fee off the table, for now, with a promise to revisit it within the next few months.

 

I encourage all of you who are concerned about our environmental impact to write the papers and the city councilors (City Clerk Stuart Sylvester can send your email to the councilors: ssylvester@rocklandmaine.gov).

 

Tell them:Tthe tide is turning in Rockland. We must make policies which truly benefit the earth, our own health, and make things fairer for everyone. There’s so much more to do: What do you want to see our area do next?