Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Question of the day

Posted in:

Illinois

* Capitol News Illinois in January…

Rep. Suzanne Ness, D-Crystal Lake, wants to prohibit businesses and grocery stores from providing single-use plastic bags to customers, as well as prohibit grocery stores from providing customers with single-use paper bags.

If Illinois lawmakers pass House Bill 1146, Illinois would join nine other states that ban both paper and plastic single-use bags. The states with existing bans are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont.

This is far from the first time a bill to ban plastic bags has been introduced in the Illinois General Assembly (2022, 2023, 2024), but none have gained significant traction.

* World Economic Forum last month…

A new report from nonprofits Environment America, U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund and Frontier Group has found that bans on plastic bags around the U.S. have already reduced the number of bags used by billions.

The report, “Plastic Bag Bans Work”, found that bans in three states — New Jersey, Philadelphia and Vermont — and two cities, Portland, Oregon and Santa Barbara, California, have reduced the number of single-use plastic bags used each year by around 6 billion. According to Environment America, the number of bags saved could go around the planet 42 times.

Further, the findings suggested that plastic bag bans could cut single-use plastic bag use by around 300 bags per person each year once adopted. […]

But the report did outline some grievances, including that companies have used loopholes, replacing thin, single-use plastic bags with thicker plastic bags labeled as recyclable in some places with legislation that allows replacing bags with thicker, recyclable (but still plastic) bags. For instance, the report noted that California banned plastic bags in 2016, while still allowing thick, recyclable plastic bags for a 10-cent fee. Following this legislation, the weight of plastic bags used and thrown out per person increased.

Some areas have also swapped the plastic bags for paper, which are still single-use bags, with or without a fee. When charged a minimum 10-cent-per-bag fee, shoppers in Mountain View, California saw a decline in paper bag usage. But shoppers in Philadelphia used paper bags at a 157% increased rate amid the plastic bag ban when paper bags were available for use with no fee.

* The Question: Do you support a plastic bag ban in Illinois? Make sure to explain your answer…

posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:12 am

Comments

I do even if it means I have to start finding alternative bags for my small trash cans. Plastic waste is causing long term problems for our environment and health, anything we can do to reduce it the better. Especially since there are some other plastics that are almost impossible to cut out.

Comment by ItsMillerTime Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:21 am
It isn’t high on my list of legislative initiatives, but I support it. Unfortunately when it comes to preserving our environment (both natural and our built urban environment) we have a lot to do. Every little bit helps.

Comment by Homebody Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:24 am
I say YES. With a nice, long runway of maybe a year or two before it goes fully into effect so people can get used to the idea.

Comment by Alton Sinkhole Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:27 am
No.

I re-use the plastic bags, for small trash cans, for cleaning the cat’s litter box, for all sorts of things. They are not “single-use”.

Paper bags aren’t “single-use”, either. They also get re-used for a variety of things.

Comment by JoanP Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:37 am
No. I can see the argument this is a local issue, but this isn’t a state issue. The GA should remain focused on big issues, like why our population isn’t growing like our peer states. (Spoiler alert: it’s access to jobs.)

Comment by Just Me 2 Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:39 am
What happened to the corn starch based fast- decomposing plastic bags? Didn’t we legislate to make them a requirement?

Paper bags can be composted so I don’t mind them. We use heavy duty reusable plastic bag totes from IKEA for everything around the house and they last forever. Great for groceries and laundry or general hauling, and washable.

Comment by Give Us Barabbas Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:40 am
In our house they are far from single use. We use them for trash bags, storage bags for plants being transplanted and as lunch bags for lunches.

I understand the environmental issues with them but some of us use them after bringing home groceries in them.

Comment by Give Me A Break Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:42 am
Either I’m re-using a plastic Kroger bag for small trash cans and in my shop, or I’m buying small plastic trash bags for small trash cans and in my shop.

Banning small plastic bags for environmental reasons at this point is like switching to generic ketchup because you’re about to lose your house.

Comment by Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:46 am
Oppose. This is movement without progress.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:50 am
I either use the plastic bag as a garbage bag or put them to the side and when I have a sufficient amount, bring them back to the grocery store, which all have recycling drop off boxes. When you shop for 6 bringing enough reusable bags is tough. I don’t want a ban but maybe a system where you get plastic bags if you drop off bags to recycle.

Comment by DEE Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:51 am
Also - someone has to tell the World Economic Forum that Philadelphia is a city.

Comment by Lefty Lefty Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:53 am
Does anyone know what percent of bags returned to stores are actually recycled. I understand that most are never recycled. The infrastructure is not sufficient.

Comment by Sjoh Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:53 am
Actually I do. I had vacillated on this sort of proposal in the past, mostly concluding corporations will fight it, and consumers are sufficiently committed to banning plastic.

Then I went to the beach a few years ago, for my family’s Beach Week. On the Carolina shoreline, I saw countless little plastic beads all along the shoreline as I walked. I realized that if there is enough plastic in the Atlantic Ocean to produce an entire shoreline of little plastic beads, it is probably time to start reducing our dependency on oil.

Most people think of gasoline and heating oil. But oil is ubiquitous with the American way of life - from our polyester fabrics, to the wrapping on almost all foods we eat, to grocery bags and coffee cups and eyeglass holders and bottles of water. It’s just everywhere.

Sane people would work to clean up our messes, and this step is pretty easy.

Comment by H-W Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:54 am
It would be inconvenient, but truth be told the more we learn about plastic trash messing us all up (both “we” as in our species and “we” as in our planet), the more I think we need societal bans against non-necessary use of plastic as much as possible. Begrudging support.

Comment by TJ Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:56 am
It’s a poor person tax. Bans are just like taxes. Just like tariffs.

Aldi has a great model. Bring your own bags or pay a fee. 5-10 cents per bag. Take what you need/want. Bag your stuff and go.

Other stores should adopt it to cut down on mandatory use.

Bags are also somewhat of a loss prevention method. Most thieves leave a store without grabbing a bag to put something in.

The environment will be here long after we’re all dead - littered with plastic or not.

If there’s legislation, there’s money motivation not some quixotic deeply rooted belief to save the planet on either side of the aisle.

Comment by Ben Bluesman Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:01 pm
I try to get pape bags at the grocery store when ever possible. Don’t like the single use plastic bags.

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:03 pm
Not now. Not arguing the environmental benefits, but the environment is not getting help from a MAGA controlled government. This will be another mandate that the typical grocery store consumer will gripe about. For now, try incentive programs for recycling these bags. Revisit the ban when sanity returns to the body politic.

Comment by Norseman Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:04 pm
Plastic bags should abolished. Keep the paper bags.

Comment by Bud Grant Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:09 pm
Support.

Any route that the semis haul trash is lined with bags that have blown out of the trucks.

Comment by Occasionally Moderated Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:10 pm
I reluctantly oppose, because while plastic is a problem, paper also expends energy to be made into bags and recycled. And if you forget your reusable bags, then what? Disclosure: I reuse plastic bags as small garbage bags, and the rare paper bag is used for shredded paper when play “hide the evidence”. Will Illinois next ban all plastic containers, so grocery stores will have all glass jars again? I have no easy answers, but our legislature always does.

Comment by thisjustinagain Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:16 pm
Support! Nothing we use for 5 minutes should pollute our environment for 500 years.

Comment by Abe Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:17 pm
Like others I use them for other things so not single use. Maybe a self-imposed ban could be done. In theory I see the benefits but is there another way? At Sam’s club they don’t have anything you just put the items in your cart. I will say no till I know more .

Comment by clec dcn Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:17 pm
Yes. The “I reuse bags” households are not the problem and there’s not enough of them. No need for a long runway either. As any US visitor to Tokyo will tell you, it only takes one awkward trip from the drug store back to your hotel room clutching various sundries against your body with both arms to get in the habit of keeping a lightweight bag squished into a pocket or purse.

Comment by Marine Life Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:21 pm
I think single use plastic bags should be banned; however, I would also like to see some investment in development of alternatives that are less resource intensive to produce than paper bags.

Side note for commenters, there are biodegradable bag options for small trash cans. Reduction of plastic use is far more important than reusing or recycling.

Comment by SAW Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:23 pm
It’s unfortunate reasoning, but I side with Norseman

Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:32 pm
Support — until we forget to bring the reusable bag in from the car.

Comment by Annonin' Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:41 pm
Yes. I do reuse the plastic ones for household trash, but I don’t need them. For now, I’d keep the paper bags, for a fee, to encourage the switch to cloth bags; I would favor phasing them out.

We need to take much better care of our planet; plastics should be phased out of many uses in favor of a return to more environmentally-responsible choices. Petroleum (& plastic) should be used much more sparingly because it is a finite resource and the extraction, use, and disposal cause a myriad of environmental problems. (The alternative to bans would be to add a fee to plastics that reflects the downstream costs.)

Comment by Pot calling kettle Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:51 pm
I support banning what is typically considered a single-use plastic bag. I purchased large canvas/cotton tote bags that I keep in the car for grocery runs. I try to avoid traditional plastic bags, but I make a point to reuse the bags I collect. Many are not reusable as they have holes in them by the time the items are unpacked. Compostable biobags (alternative plastic) and paper bags should still be allowed.

Comment by Velma Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:53 pm
Norseman nailed it.

The success of any consumer-oriented environmental campaign relies on generating significant grassroots support.

Require grocery stores in Chicago to pay me seven cents for every bag that I return, maybe.

Ness should start by convincing school kids in her district to go door-to-door, encouraging municipalities to adopt a ban. But if she cannot convince her hometown to do it, she should not be foisting it on Illinois.

FWIW there are plenty of opportunties for the state board to incorporate environmental issues in the curriculum of both science and home economics classes, and I would start there.

Also, IDPH could be doing Public Service Announcements with the help of the ad council talking about the impact on wildlife and microplactics in the food chain.

Comment by Thomas Paine Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:54 pm
No. Paper bags can be recycled. This is where the environmentalists go to far.

Comment by Center Drift Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 1:02 pm
===Paper bags can be recycled===

What does that have to do with the question?

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 1:04 pm
It’s much better than a bag tax.

Comment by twowaystreet Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 1:17 pm
Oppose - especially if the law includes a ban on paper bags, too.

Why do so many of you spend so much time and energy finding ways to make life more difficult and inconvenient for everyone else?

Comment by JB13 Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 1:28 pm
No.

I used them in small trash containers.

Comment by cal skinner Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 1:33 pm
Against as I already recycle the bags so they are not single use. As trash bags for the small containers and doggie doo -doo bags when I go for walks with Rover. If I can’t get the bags, I will need to purchase sm Plastic bags and Doggie doo doo bags so basically net zero and extra cost. If I have alot extra bags, I take them to the store to recycle.

I understand the concern but what is the replacement for the ban that will work for all?

Comment by snowman61 Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 2:09 pm
Support. I have several disposable plastic bags from Jewel (plus reusable bags) in each of our cars. Just Just bring them in the store with you. Waaaay too much single use disposable plastic around. Need to start somewhere.

Comment by Original Rambler Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 2:35 pm
West suburban Batavia reportedly has generated $200,000 from charges for bags in retail stores and that money is slated to go towards green initiatives. I think it’s 10 cents a bag and that’s not a deal breaker by any means. I’m all for a ban but if that’s not in the cards, let’s mandate a modest charge like Batavia. (California does the same).

Comment by jackmac Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 3:28 pm
Yes.

Except for Binny’s bags which I consider to be extremely re-usable.

Comment by Stix Hix Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 3:32 pm
===Bags are also somewhat of a loss prevention method. Most thieves leave a store without grabbing a bag to put something in.===

What do you even mean?

As for a plastic bag ban, assuming the question refers to grocery and other shopping bags and not my main kitchen trash bags (yet), I would vote yes. Start where we can.

Comment by Leslie K Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 5:05 pm
====Except for Binny’s bags which I consider to be extremely re-usable.====

Yes. I don’t usually go to Binny’s but my local liquor store has great, strong, leakproof bags.

Comment by Been There Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 5:20 pm
Banning plastic bags is a middle class luxury.

At one point in my life I had to walk to the grocery store and then carry my groceries back. Not having grocery bags that I could afford would have been a significant burden.

For those of us who have been poor, the obvios answer is no.

Comment by Remote Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 5:33 pm
===Do you support a plastic bag ban in Illinois?===

Yes, but I am not really sure it reduces waste and would like to see some kind of study regarding that coming out of states which have banned the practice. Right if I go to the grocery store, Wal-Mart or target cheap plastic bags are available. Stores may not actually be encouraging the use of reusable bags, but it is an option.

When I have been in states or localities that have banned plastic bags I have been required to purchase a reusable plastic bag. These reusable bags aren’t the nice ones that cost a buck or more, they’re just sturdier plastic bags made with more plastic. This bag has routinely only cost me a nickel.

I’m old enough that I remember when two nickels was the cost of a grade A large egg, but these days a nickel really has no practical value, you’d need at least 10 of them to pay for an egg.

So I am not convinced that substituting our cheap flimsy bags for a really dense and much stronger plastic bag actually reduces the amount of plastic waste.

Also what Noresman says. It might not be a good idea to give folks the rallying cry of “they took our bags!” to distract them from the threats to their Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and the other forms of public investment that people regions like the Eastern Bloc of our state from collapsing under the weight of the elected officials egos and endless self importance.

Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 5:33 pm
I visited an affluent community that banned single-use plastic bags. A lot of people purchased the heavy-duty multi-use plastic bags and used them once, buying new every time they went to the store.

My impression is that it caused more plastic waste. Can’t say for sure, but it appeared that way.

Comment by Not sold on the concept Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 5:37 pm
I’m fine with banning the plastic ones.

We should keep paper bags … at least the unbleached brown ones. They decompose readily enough. And the paper companies actually plant, harvest, and replant for them (friend used to work for one of the big companies). Plus paper bags hold 2 - 3 times what plastic do, so you don’t use as many.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:06 pm