Portland, Oregon, city council expands plastic bag ban to include retailers larger than 10,000 sq. ft. starting March 1, remaining retailers Oct. 1; bag ban will hurt environment as consumers forced to buy unrecyclable reusable bags, industry group says

Andrew Rogers

PORTLAND, Oregon , November 16, 2012 (press release) – Yesterday, the Portland city council voted to expand the city's plastic bag ban, impacting retailers larger than 10,000 square-feet on March 1, 2013, and the remaining retailers on October 1, 2013.

The following is a statement from Mark Daniels, Chair of the American Progressive Bag Alliance, an organization representing the United States' plastic bag manufacturing and recycling sector, which employs 30,800 workers in 349 communities across the nation – whose jobs depend on plastic bag manufacturing and recycling.

"The expansion of Portland's bag ban will continue to have a negative impact on consumers, and, ironically, the environment. Portland residents will be forced to purchase even more reusable bags which cannot be recycled, are predominately imported from China, and have been proven to harbor dangerous bacteria. Those interested in real solutions to reducing litter and protecting the environment should pursue scientifically sound, common sense policies – ones that encourage a comprehensive statewide recycling solution that address all forms of plastic bags, sacks and wraps – instead of targeting one product that makes up a fraction of a percent of the waste stream."

About the American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA)
The American Progressive Bag Alliance was founded in 2005 to represent the United States' plastic bag manufacturing and recycling sector, employing 30,800 workers in 349 communities across the nation. APBA promotes the responsible use, reuse, recycling and disposal of plastic bags and advocates for American-made plastic products as the best environmental choice at check out—for both retailers and consumers.

Contact: Christopher Bastardi 212-704-4544

SOURCE American Progressive Bag Alliance

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