Portland’s Bag Fee and Foam Container Ban Isn’t the Solution to the Problem

There's a new law in effect in Portland that charges you a nickle for every disposable plastic and paper bag you get and bans foam containers.  The law has been put in place to reduce trash polluting waterways. It's a huge inconvenience for consumers and I think there's a better solution that we already use. 

Anna Gravél from our sister station 94.9 HOM thinks that foam containers are bad. I think they're good. We discussed in this video.

I think this law is just too inconvenient for people to have a significant impact. Making sure to remember your reusable shopping bags every time you go to the store is damn near impossible. For some it's such an inconvenience that they might take their business to a bordering town that doesn't have the ban.

Look I'm all for keeping the city and waterways clean, but what's to keep anyone from tossing these non-foam cups and containers and bags they were charged a nickle for anywhere they please? People are already doing it! I saw four of these new cups littering the streets of Portland on my walk into work this morning.

I have a solution that will keep the convenience of foam containers and bags and reduce the pollution caused by them. It's something we've been doing with bottles and cans for years.

Put a deposit on them.

Think about it. Do you throw away your bottles and cans? Do you see them littered over the streets and waterways. I don't. Because each one of those is worth a nickle!

Do the same for the plastic bags and foam containers. Instead of a nickle charge on bags that goes to the business owner providing the bag, make it so you get your nickle back if you recycle it.

The same goes for foam containers. When you buy your cup of coffee you get charged a five cent deposit. If you recycle it, you get your nickle back. If you toss it, someone else will grab it for the nickle.

We have redemption centers for bottles and cans, so why can't we do the same for bags and foam containers?

Don't penalize people for using plastic bags and foam containers. Give them incentive to recycle. Now we can all have our cake and eat it too....out of foam containers.

What do you think of Portland's new five cent charge on bags and foam container ban? Do you think it will help? What would you do instead? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter.