Portsmouth City Council tables potential plastic bag ban

City Council discusses potential plastic bag ban
Published: Aug. 8, 2022 at 9:22 PM EDT

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (WSAZ) - Legislation that would ban the usage of plastic bags in retail stores is already written in the city of Portsmouth. However, Mayor Sean Dunne says councilmembers won’t be making a decision to pass it after the measure was tabled Monday evening. The idea is to have it readily available if a group of community members would like to advocate for the legislation to be voted on in the future.

Mayor Dunne sees it as a potential way for the city to reduce litter and waste, but some business owners fear that it could incur a greater financial cost.

“I do keep some paper bags, I buy them, but it is not cost-effective to buy and use exclusively,” said Sharon Bender who owns Ghosts In The Attic.

Bender says she is not a fan of the potential plastic bag ban.

“Unnecessary rules are just that. They are unnecessary. We use plastic bags, we also use paper bags and they are a lot more expensive,” Bender said.

Mayor Dunne says the idea came from similar legislation in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Although he believes it could have a positive environmental impact, he understands why some shop owners might be worried.

“Rather than cleaning up litter, let’s stop producing it. For visitors to come here and see that we keep things clean and there is not very much litter and so forth, it will encourage them to come back,” Dunne said. “I think there are collaborative ways of wanting to improve the environment, but also we don’t want to hurt small businesses or large businesses in the area.”

Some local shops such as Gigi’s Kiss of Style Boutique have already quit using plastic bags. But even those who work there worry about the financial impact that a plastic bag ban could have on other small stores.

“Environmentally, it makes sense. But it’s a big expense, and we have to provide that with every single purchase,” Nichole Miller said.

“This would now become an option for a group of people to advocate to put on the ballot and just have people let us know what they think. If they want to go forward with it, we do. If not, then we won’t,” Dunne said.

Council tabled the measure by a 6-0 vote.

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