Patch on the Street: Shoppers Support Ban but Still Use Plastic Bags

In advance of on the proposed plastic bag ban, Patch Regional Editor Mike Lewis and I hung out for a couple of hours at in Issaquah, gathering “Patch-on-the-street” opinions and giving away canvas shopping bags. 

From our (very) informal survey of Issaquah shoppers, here are some observations we made about public opinion on the topic.

First off, most of the 23 Issaquah residents we talked to over the course of two hours, people we met weren’t aware of the public hearing tonight, though most had heard about the proposed ban. For the purposes of our informal survey, we’ve left out comments from people living in other towns. 

Overwhelmingly, folks said they are in favor of the ban; 20 of the people we asked said they definitely favor the ban, predominantly for environmental reasons.

“The plastic definitely is bad for the environment,” said Issaquah resident Luis Olmos. “We want a great future for our kids.”

Meanwhile one person, Kimberley Parnell, told us she was against it, preferring to have the option of paying for plastic bags as well. A couple of other residents were not sure how they would feel about a ban in practice, such as John Bell, who said he often uses plastic bags for other things and the alternatives might not be better.

We predict that a ban, if put into effect, will require us all to adjust our own behavior though. Of the people we offered bags to, nearly all told us they have lots of reusable shopping bags, but most were on their way into the store without a reusable bag, unless they took one from us.

Julieanne Miller summed up the dilemma nicely: “I'm in favor if I can just remember to bring my bags.”

We noticed that folks who declined our free shopping bags in general also entered the store without a bag in hand and emerged with plastic, paper, or paper bags inside plastic bags.

We did see several people who opted for no bag at all, however, carrying or carting their purchases loose back to their cars.

Jay Staten said he’s in favor of the ban and would like to see it taken a step further, banning paper bags, too. Currently, the proposed regulation would impose a five-cent fee for electing to use paper bags at local grocery stores.

For anyone who wants to officially register their opinion with the Issaquah Council, the public hearing is tonight, April 30, at 7 p.m. at Issaquah City Hall. The meeting is not a question and answer session, the city says in the meeting packet, but rather to accept public testimony on the issue.

We also have a poll on the subject on Sammamish-Issaquah Patch, which also currently shows a pro-ban stance, with about 53 percent of respondents so far in favor of a ban, while the rest say they want to keep the option (with nearly 30 percent choosing the response:‘ You’ll get my plastic bags when you pry them from my full trashcans.’)

Thanks to the Front Street Market for hosting us, and to everyone who shared their opinions with us.