Ohio state lawmakers are trying to ban local governments from implementing fees on plastic bags. The legislation is moving through the General Assembly as major cities around the country move in the opposite direction.
The Republican sponsors of the bill, HB625 and SB210, say the state should decide on a ban or fee on disposable items such as plastic bags, to avoid a patchwork of laws from one city to another regarding so-called “auxiliary containers”.
But Elissa Yoder Mann with the Sierra Club says municipalities should have the right to decide for themselves how they want to address waste issues.
“At the community level, a partnership between private businesses, local entities, and community members really deciding what their problem issues are, how it needs to be tackled.”
Cities such as San Diego, Seattle, and Chicago have implemented either a ban or fee on plastic and paper bags, to reduce landfill input.
HB625 is scheduled for a committee hearing and possible vote later this month. With similar legislation already moving through the Senate, it's possible the measure could pass out of the General Assembly during the lame duck session.
In his sponsor testimony, Rep. Scott Lipps (R-Franklin) says Florida, Indiana, and Wisconsin are among several states that have made auxillary container laws up to the state government.
