One year after the City of Portland's historic ban on single-use plastic bags, the Portland Chapter of Surfrider is pushing for a Better Bag Ban to further reduce waste and keep plastic out of our environment. The goal: to expand Portland's bag ban to apply to all retailers and include a fee on paper to better encourage use of reusable bags. Portland's current bag ban has undoubtedly been highly effective in reducing plastic bag waste. According to the Northwest Grocery Association, 23 major grocers participating in a 6 month study following the ban, reported a decrease of 8.5 million plastic bags consumed per month. That translates to a decrease of 52 million bags in just those stores in 6 months! Yet, imagine how many more plastic bags could be kept out of the environment if the policy applied to all retailers, not just the big ones. Further, while some shoppers have switched from plastic bags to reusables, many others have switched to paper bags - an alternative which also produces negative effects on the environment. That's why the Surfrider Foundation is partnering with Environment Oregon and other numerous other groups, businesses and citizens to pass an improved ordinance. So please get involved and join the grassroots movement to pass a Better Bag Ban in Portland!
To Sign the Petition: Click Here
Ban the Bag website: Click Here