PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- The Portland City Council's Energy and Environmental Sustainability Committee is looking into whether to ban plastic grocery bags and charge consumers for paper bags. Thursday night, the committee is scheduled to hear from the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit out of California that encourages cities and towns to ban plastic bags and charge customers 10 cents for every paper bag they use from the grocery store.
Committee Chair David Marshall says the plan intrigues him because the city is looking for ways to reduce waste and keep the environment clean. Washington D.C. saw bag use drop 80 percent in 2010 after its plastic bag ban and 5 cent charge on paper bags went into effect. "It's a fee not to produce revenue, but to change people's behavior, and that's an interesting policy idea to me," Marshall said.
Others argue that now is not the time to put additional fees on consumers.
The committee meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the Portland City Council chambers. Public comment is welcome.
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