Copyright Chicago Tribune
The survey on the city of Elgin’s website is simple. Two questions. But how residents answer it could have a major impact on the city. Officials wants residents to tell them if they support the adoption of an ordinance banning retailers from using single-use plastic shopping bags and why. “Engaging the community early in the process is important,” said Kristin Iftner, the city’s sustainability manager. “We want to hear from as many community members as possible, including residents, local business owners and large retailers, before any recommendation moves forward.” Recommended by the city’s Sustainability Commission, the ordinance would prohibit retail establishments larger than 5,000 square feet from using single-use plastic bags for customer purchases. Restaurants, small non-chain retailers and pop-up shops would be exempt. Any customer who does not bring their own bag would be charged minimum 10-cent fee for every paper bag provided at checkout. The only exemption on the fee would be for those using food assistance programs. Additionally, all paper bags would be required to contain at least 40% recycled content. The goal is to get residents in the habit of using reusable bags and reducing the number of plastic bags that end up in landfills. Bags exempt from the ordinance would be those used for bulk items, frozen foods, flowers, bakery goods, greeting cards, prescription drugs and those containing puchases made online for pickup or delivery. Retailers would be required to keep accurate records of paper bag fees collected, according to the ordinance. Failure to comply with the rules could result in fines. The survey can be found at engage.elginil.gov/single-use-bags. The two questions it asks are: Do you support or oppose a local ordinance that bans single-use plastic bags and places a 10¢ fee on paper bags at checkout? What are your main reasons for supporting the draft ordinance? The Engage Elgin website where the survey can be found provides answers to questions like do other communities have bans (yes, including Batavia, Chicago and Woodstock) and where does the paper bag fee go (retailers keep it). It also provides resources and education about plastic bags, including why plastic bags are hard to recycle and why they can’t be recycled through the city’s curbside program. The answer to the latter is they can clog recycling sorting equipment and cause shutdowns that require workers to clear them by hand. Other facts cited include things like only 9% of plastics are recycled worldwide and discarded plastic bags break down into microplastics that stay in the environment for centuries and contaminate the soil, waterways and air. Resources for more information include Our World in Data — Plastic Pollution and Geneva Environment Network — Plastic Production and Industry. For those who don’t have access to the online survey, paper copies are available through December at: The Centre of Elgin, 100 Symphony Way; Elgin City Hall, 150 Dexter Court; Hawthorne Hill Nature Center, 28 Brookside Drive; Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave.; Gail Borden Rakow Branch, 2751 W. Bowes Road. Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
