Portland, OR Plastic Bag Ban

On July 21st, 2011, the Portland City Council voted 5-0 in favor of the ordinance to ban carry out plastic bags at city retailers and allow them to charge for a paper bag starting October 15, 2011. This is a big victory, four years in the making, for the environment, Mayor Sam Adams, the Surfrider Foundation Portland Chapter and many others. After Oregon lawmakers failed to act on SB 536 in 2011, a statewide carryout bag bill, Portland and Mayor Sam Adams declared this an emergency ordinance to move it forward quickly since state legislators fumbled the ball. Since it was an emergency ordinance it required a unanimous vote from city council and they all saw the value of this important legislation.