Should single-use plastic bags be banned in San Juan County?

The idea was put to the county council last week by solid waste program administrator Mark Herrenkohl, who is spearheading a public works effort to pass a ban here.

“This is all in early stages,” he told the Sounder. “The council is considering, and there is quite a bit of support to move forward.”

Herrenkohl and public works director Brian Vincent suggested San Juan County adopt a resolution similar to those passed in other regional communities.

Bellingham passed a prohibition on single-use carryout bags in 2011, and began requiring retailers to charge five cents per large paper bag used. Bags thicker than 2.25 mil are considered reuseable and still allowed. Plastic bags are also still allowed for restaurant take-out foods and meats and produce in grocery stores, due to public health concerns. (https://www.cob.org/services/environment/Pages/plastic-bag-ban.aspx)

Herrenkohl said he’d like to see a ban passed because of the environmental impact of single-use plastic bags, which contribute a significant amount of the waste found on beaches and roadsides. In late 2014, Scientific American stated that Americans toss about 100 billion plastic grocery bags per year.

The biggest problem with all plastics is that they don’t biodegrade – ever. They just break up into smaller and smaller pieces until they are microscopic, and persist in the environment, absorbing pollutants and being eaten by fish and other marine life, says NOAA. Researchers are currently investigating how chemicals interact with microplastics; how toxic microplastic debris might be and how it affects the food chain; whether zooplankton can ingest microplastics; and whether the juvenile fish in floating sargassum mats actively consume microplastic debris. But they are most certainly finding plastics in the stomachs of a wide array of aquatic creatures, from fish, to seabirds and plankton-eating whales. Plastic bags may be the most dangerous to sea turtles, who can’t tell the difference between a Safeway bag and their favorite food, the jellyfish.

Other considerations to ponder include potential economic impacts on local businesses and the county budget, as well as actual environmental impact and energy required to create paper vs. plastic bags.

Before presenting to the council, public works sought feedback on the idea from businesses, marinas and organizations throughout the county, and said most responses were either supportive or neutral.

“We fully support … the program, but not the fee,” commented council member and Ray’s Pharmacy owner Rick Hughes. While the council cannot impose an ordinance on the Town of Friday Harbor, the town is considering adopting the idea as well.

According to Vincent, the council considered a ban in 2012, but tabled it due to significant administrative changes occurring to the council at that time. Discussion by the 2016 Leadership San Juans cohort recently resurrected the idea.

“We’re still in the discussion and due diligence phase; but there are lots of good reasons to move forward on this,” said Herrenkohl.