OR bill drops bag ban in favor of recycling

OR bill drops bag ban in favor of recycling

By Henry Leineweber

It seems Oregon will not be the first state in the nation to ban plastic bags after all. Amendments have been proposed to SB 536 [1] that would remove the "ban" language and replace it with an 80 percent recycling target.

The new recycling goals would require manufacturers to recycle 20 percent of all plastic bags provided to Oregon retailers in 2012, the first program year. The target is then raised 20 percent each year, culminating at a mandatory 80 percent recycling rate for plastic bags by 2015.

"By [the plastic bag industry's] own admission and repeated high profile media blitzes plastic baggers proclaim that rather than a ban, the answer is recycling," said the author of the amendments, Rep. Vic Gilliam (R – Mollalla) in a prepared statement, preempting questions about the ambitious targets. "My amendments offer bag manufacturers a real chance to prove their point and embrace a common ground solutions. I am setting forth a realistic and fair recycling goal for plastic bags."

The move is the latest [2] in a series of heated exchanges between supporters of SB 536 and members of the plastic bag industry. Hilex Poly, one of the country's largest plastic bag manufacturers, had allegedly said such a ban would negatively affect plans to construct a plastic bag recycling facility in Oregon. Other legislative supporters have complained of heavy lobbying against the bill by plastics companies and organizations.

Just prior to the amendments and dramatic shift in focus, the bill was thought dead by many supporters. Despite a favorable committee endorsement, a vote tally for SB 536 was deadlocked at 15-15 in the Oregon Senate.

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