Oregon Lawmakers Vote to Expand the State’s Plastic Bag Ban

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Oregon’s ban on plastic grocery bags will kick up a notch under a bill headed to the desk of Gov. Tina Kotek. Beginning in 2027, Senate Bill 551 will ensure that retailers and restaurants can’t offer any form of plastic bags to customers at check out. That’s already true for most single-use plastic bags because of a bill lawmakers passed in 2019. But the law left open the option that stores could offer slightly thicker plastic bags that are considered reusable — but that critics say are often tossed.

SB 551, does away with that loophole, making bags made of recycled paper the only option stores and restaurants now have. The bill does not impact grocers’ ability to offer plastic bags for bulk goods, raw meat or some other items. “Senate Bill 551 gets us one step closer to our goals of zero waste and breaking free from plastic,” Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, the bill’s central champion, said before a Senate vote on Tuesday. “I thank the amazing advocates that work hard on these issues every darn day. These issues mean a lot to Oregonians.”

The bill that passed the Senate on a 22-8 vote was far more limited than a version of SB 551 the chamber passed in March. Beyond banning plastic bags, that bill would have barred restaurants from giving customers plastic utensils or single-serving condiments in plastic packaging unless they were requested. And it would have blocked hotels and Airbnb providers from proactively giving guests shampoo and other products in single-use plastic containers.

 Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com