Elgin council wants more retailer input before plastic bag vote

The Elgin Sustainability Commission has recommended the city ban single-use plastic bags. Elgin businesses don’t want it. Many residents, according to a poll, do not support it. What Elgin City Council will do is still up in the air.

At its meeting last week, the council postponed discussion of a possible ban on single-use plastic bags until Feb. 25 to get more input from businesses.

The ordinance under consideration would ban the use of single-use plastic bags by some retailers, who could charge customers who don’t bring their own bags a 10-cent fee for each recycled paper bag needed for their purchases.

Restaurants, convenience stores and small retailers would be exempt. Individuals receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or other assistance programs would not be required to pay this fee.

Several Illinois cities, including Chicago, Batavia, Oak Park, Woodstock and Northbrook, already have such bans and most retailers offer shoppers the option of bringing their own bags or purchasing durable bags at checkout.

A similar ban is being considered by the state, meaning the council could wait for the General Assembly to weigh in rather than pass its own ban.

As currently written, Elgin’s proposed ordinance would affect 42 retailers, according to research by city staff and the Elgin Development Group, sustainability manager Kristin Iftner told the council.

Last April, the Sustainability Commission recommended the council adopt a ban-the-bags ordinance, prompting city staff to draft language modeled after the state bill, currently stalled in committee.

Before deciding whether to move forward with the ban or drop it, Elgin officials agreed to conduct a survey in English and Spanish late last year to get feedback from residents and businesses, Iftner said.

Survey results showed that 57% of 2,185 respondents opposed a ban, 38% supported it and 5% said they needed more information before forming an opinion, said Jessica VanDyke, sustainability coordinator.

“While the survey results are intended to serve as a statistically representative sample of the community, they provide valuable insight into community perceptions and recurring themes,” VanDyke said.

Common themes among those who didn’t want a ban were issues of fairness, competitive disadvantages for retailers, concerns about charging for paper bags and a preference for waiting for statewide legislation, she said. Some respondents said they would shop elsewhere if restrictions were implemented in Elgin, she said.

Those who supported the ban cited a reduction in trash and plastic pollution, protection of wildlife and waterways, public health concerns and that the measure aligns with Elgin’s climate action plan.

Retailers say they are concerned about the added cost to customers who don’t bring their own reusable bags, which could lead some to shop in neighboring communities without bag regulations, said Tony Lucenko, director of Elgin Development Group.

Lucenko asked the council to delay the discussion so more business owners could give their opinions on the ordinance.

Iftner said the council could decide to postpone action, allowing the issue to be revisited at some point in the future. If the ordinance passes, she would recommend implementation in 2027, she said.

At the council meeting Wednesday evening, audience members had differing views on the proposal.

Mike Warren is a longtime business owner whose operations would not be affected by a ban, but he believes the council is “responsible for creating a healthy economic engine that allows our residents to live, work and play here,” he said. This ban would not do that, he said.

While it won’t lessen climate change, Warren said he believes the ban would put the city at an economic disadvantage and cause people to shop elsewhere. Elgin should advocate for statewide legislation so everyone is on a level playing field, he said.

Cheryl Brumbaugh Hayford, however, and the local environmental groups she works with have been advocating for a ban-the-bag ordinance for nine years.

“We shouldn’t wait any longer,” Brumbaugh Hayford said. “Elgin must act as an independent municipality and not wait for the state of Illinois to take action for the health of the river and the health of residents. Please do the right thing.”

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.