SALEM, Ore.— Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on Thursday signed into law Senate Bill 551, which will eliminate all bags made of plastic film at checkout at restaurants, grocery stores, and other retail establishments in Oregon starting January 1, 2027. The bill passed with bipartisan support out of the Oregon legislature last week.
“In recent years, Oregon leaders have recognized the negative impacts of plastic pollution, and this new law will help us build a cleaner, greener future here in our state,” said Celeste Meiffren-Swango, state director of Environment Oregon. “We’ve known for a long time that plastic film checkout bags pollute our communities, threaten our health and environment, and can harm wildlife. It’s exciting to see our state taking steps to reduce this source of unnecessary waste and pollution.”
While a state ban on single-use plastic check-out bags went into effect on January 1, 2020, for grocery stores, restaurants, and retail establishments, the law still allowed for the distribution of thicker plastic film bags (at least four mils thick). Because many people only use these thicker bags once before throwing them away – contributing to the plastic pollution problem – Oregon lawmakers sought to update the law to eliminate all plastic film bags at checkout this year.
“Wasteful disposable plastics like thick plastic checkout bags aren’t just annoying for consumers, they add unnecessary costs to our Oregon businesses, and are contributing to an ever increasing pile of plastic trash that is harming the environment and public health,” said the bill’s chief sponsor, state Sen. Janeen Sollman (SD-15). “Senate Bill 551 is an important step in addressing this large source of plastic pollution, and I’m proud to see it signed into law.”
Currently, more than 500 cities and towns across 28 states have a plastic bag ordinance in effect. Twelve states – California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington – have some form of statewide ban on single-use plastic bags. California also recently updated its bag law to eliminate thick plastic bags at checkout.
“People realize quickly it’s easy to live without plastic bags and get used to bringing a bag from home or skipping a bag when they can,” said Charlie Fisher, state director of OSPIRG. “Plastic bag bans mean less waste and less litter. For our children to inherit a less polluted earth, that’s exactly what we need.”
Though the updated bag ban will be an effective deterrent to plastic waste in Oregon, the bill in its original form would have addressed the issue even more comprehensively. Provisions that would have required single-use plastic toiletries at lodging establishments to be available only upon request, as well as adding plastic utensils and condiments to Oregon’s existing “straws upon request” laws, were removed in the Oregon House.
“It’s a shame that some individuals in the House couldn’t support the ‘ask first’ portions of the bill, which really only stand to save businesses money and provide them and their customers with more freedom and choice to cut waste,” said Charlie Plybon, Oregon sr. policy manager for the Surfrider Foundation. “But we’re excited that the most substantive part of this bill – saying goodbye to those thicker plastic checkout bags – was enthusiastically supported and retained.”
“Addressing pollution from plastic film bags is a huge win for our environment,” said Tara Brock, Pacific legal director and senior counsel for Oceana. “Flexible plastic is the deadliest type of plastic to marine animals, pollutes our parks and beaches, and gums up our local recycling facilities. Oregonians overwhelmingly support state policies that reduce single-use plastic, and we commend the Oregon legislature and Governor Kotek for listening to their voices.”
The legislature had a lot of evidence at its disposal in making its decision. The Ocean Conservancy noted that plastic grocery bags were among the most harmful and prevalent forms of single-use plastics found by its International Coastal Cleanup volunteers.
“While there is no silver bullet to the plastic pollution crisis, research shows that bans work when it comes to reducing plastic pollution,” said Dr. Anja Brandon, director of plastics policy for Ocean Conservancy. “We commend Oregon for listening to the science and getting rid of plastic grocery bags once and for all. We look forward to working with the legislature to continue tackling additional sources of plastic pollution in the future.”
—
