The Paper or Plastic Question Could Be Thing Of The Past

Mona Shand

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Paper or plastic? Environmental advocates hope the answer will soon be "neither" if the Columbia city council passes a measure designed to encourage the use of reusable bags.

Under the ordinance, grocery stores, pharmacies, and convenience stores would be prohibited from giving out single-use plastic bags at checkout, and shoppers would have to pay 10 cents for a paper bag.

Carolyn Amparan, chair of the Osage Group of Sierra Club Missouri, says in addition to the litter the bags generate in both in the landscape and the storm water system, they just don't fit with the idea of sustainable living.

"An item that you're going to use for 20 minutes and then throw it away is not really an efficient use of our natural resources," she says.

The ordinance is expected to get a first reading at a city council meeting on Feb. 16, and could come up for a vote as early as March 2. If passed, it would be the first ever such ban in Missouri.

While some critics of "bag bans" call them overreach and say the decision should be left to individuals and businesses, Amparan says there are many regulations, including those concerning water and air pollution, which are designed to protect the common good.

"It's really just one more law like that," says Amparan. "So many people miss the negative impact plastic bags have both on the environment, and then potentially on human health."

Nearly 150 municipalities across the country, including several in the Midwest like Chicago, have adopted plastic bag bans. Last year California became the first in the nation to enact a statewide ban.

Missouri state representative Mary Nichols (D-Maryland Heights) has introduced a proposal to create stronger restrictions on plastic bags statewide. On the other side of the issue is representative Dan Shaul (R-Imperial), who heads up the Missouri Grocers Association. Shaul is sponsoring a bill that would block such restrictions by the state or local governments.