Pittsburgh to ban plastic bags next year
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Single-use plastic bags will be banned in Pittsburgh, beginning next year.
City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a measure to ban most single-use plastic bags, though there are exceptions for produce bags, meat packaging, pharmacy bags and bags used to wrap flowers or similar items. Garbage bags and pet waste bags also are exempt.
The legislation, introduced by Councilwoman Erika Strassburger in November, would require shoppers to instead bring a reusable bag or pay a fee for a paper bag.
City Council last week amended the legislation to drop the fee for paper bags from 15 cents to 10 cents. The money from the fee would help the retailer offset the higher cost of paper bags, Strassburger said.
People participating in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would not be charged the extra fee.
The amendment also delayed implementation of the measure for one year, giving businesses and consumers time to prepare. The city will use the time to educate people about the measure, seek funding to provide reusable bags to retailers and residents and develop plans for enforcement, Strassburger said.
“This is really landmark legislation,” Strassburger said. “This ban on single-use plastics is going to impact our city in a very positive way.”
The ban will improve the city’s recycling efforts and curb litter, she said.
Americans use about 100 billion plastic bags each year, Strassburger said.
Councilman Bobby Wilson, who co-sponsored the measure, said it’s a “monumental moment for Pittsburgh,” but also an example “that’s set here for other cities on what can be done here to reduce this waste.”
Councilman Bruce Kraus, a co-sponsor on the bill, said the legislation is one step toward ensuring that people today are considering what kind of planet they will leave for their children.
“We are strangling this planet with single-use plastic containers,” Kraus said.
Several experts have voiced support for the measure, explaining that the ordinance will help eliminate litter and harmful microplastic pollution.
“Nothing that we use for five minutes should have such a profound and lasting impact on our communities, our environment and our health,” said Ashleigh Deemer, deputy director of PennEnvironment, a statewide environmental advocacy organization.
The American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance, however, has opposed the measure, arguing that single-use plastic grocery bags are not a leading cause of litter and are often reused. The group argued also that the added fee could exacerbate financial hardships on low-income families.
City Council members Theresa Kail-Smith and R. Daniel Lavelle were not present for Tuesday’s vote.