Could Elgin adopt a single-use plastic bag ban?
Following the recommendation of its sustainability commission, Elgin may consider bringing a citywide ban on single-use plastic bags up for a city council vote.
The council discussed the possibility after a presentation by sustainability commission Chairman Tom Armstrong Wednesday, when he shared his group’s recommendation to ban the bags as they work to reduce single-use plastics in the community.
While a handful of suburban communities, including Batavia, Chicago, Northbrook, Oak Park and Woodstock, have implemented fees on single-use plastic bags, Evanston is the only town to ban them all together.
Armstrong said they ultimately decided to recommend the ban over a bag fee, feeling like the fee hadn’t been a deterrent to use in other communities.
Many of the council members agreed they would prefer a ban over a fee.
“I said a couple of years ago, I thought if you wanted to solve the problem you have to ban the problem,” Mayor David Kaptain said. “If you put a fee on it, it allows people to buy their way out.”
The council discussed a bag fee in 2023, but ultimately no ordinance was put up for a vote. Merchants opposed the move at the time saying it might cause shoppers to go to stores in other communities.
Council member Carol Rauschenberger, who along with member Tish Powell requested the issue be put on the agenda, said they’re not introducing anything that hasn’t been successfully implemented elsewhere.
“There are 127 countries that ban plastic (bags). There are 12 states that ban plastic and hundreds more communities around the world,” she said. “It’s not new.”
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington all have statewide bans on single-use plastic bags.
Powell cited Aldi’s policy to encourage reusable bag use by both not offering plastic bags as well as charging for paper bags.
“They figured it out, and if they can figure it out I’m sure everybody else can figure it out,” she said.
After a lengthy discussion, most council members agreed they’d like to see a proposed ordinance that mirrors an Illinois Senate bill recently introduced by Sen. Cristina Castro of Elgin. If passed, IL SB 1872 would prohibit retailers from offering single-use bags to consumers starting in 2029.
That bill also calls for a minimum 10-cent fee on any recycled paper bags retailers offer and includes some carve-outs for specific-use bags.
Council member Rose Martinez said she had concerns about a ban.
“While I understand and appreciate the environmental problems that drive this initiative, a ban of this nature could have significant impacts on businesses and I’m not convinced that sufficient outreach and data have been collected to understand these potential consequences fully,” she said.
At the council’s direction, City Manager Rick Kozal said his staff would put together an ordinance mirroring the Senate bill for the members’ consideration.