In November, voters in Durango will take the air out of a contentious issue that’s been blowing in the wind for the last couple of years – deciding whether Durango should join 150 cities and counties nationwide, as well as countries such as Australia and Ireland, that have a restriction on plastic bags.
Passions on both sides have been strong, with proponents and opponents each making principled arguments.
Proponents see a 10-cent fee on bags as a strike against pollution, an awareness-raiser for the environment and a conservation measure.
Conversely, opponents see the fee as government overreach, an unwanted “tax” and a loss of consumer choice.
Q: What are we voting on exactly?
A: Whether the city’s four largest supermarkets – the two City Markets, Walmart and Albertsons – should impose a 10-cent fee on disposable plastic and paper bags at checkout, effective March 1, 2014.
The fee would apply at stores of 25,000 square feet or larger. So if Durango ever got a Target or a Food for Less, the fee would apply there, too.
Q: Why should I vote for this?
A: Proponents cite many environmental reasons for limiting plastic consumption. Single-use plastic bags consume 12 million barrels of oil a year. Plastic takes more than 1,000 years to decompose. The oceans are filled with plastic-bag debris. Closer to home, wildlife eat plastic bags as evidenced by plastic-bag debris that has appeared in bear poop.
Durango estimates that local consumers go through 7.2 million bags a year, or 430 per person on average.
The fee is supposed to raise awareness that nondisposable goods do not make for a sustainable future.
Q: Who is behind this?
A: In 2011, more than 800 people signed a petition asking for Durango to ban plastic bags. During the summer, the City Council in a 4-1 vote approved the 10-cent fee as a compromise alternative to an outright ban.
Durango Bag It is campaigning to uphold the ordinance after an opponents’ petition drive asked the council to put the issue before the voters this fall.
Q: What are the cons?
A: Plastic bags take up less than 1 percent of the landfill, leading opponents to argue that a fee is a meaningless gesture.
Because the fee is a dime, the issue plays into the resentment against being nickel-and-dimed.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has threatened to veto a more modest fee of a nickel because he thinks Denver already has enough fees.
Opponents are adamant that the fee is a tax.
Q: Who is fighting this?
A: The group “Bag Ordinance to a Vote” organized the petition that put it on the ballot. Another group, Shoppers Against the Durango Bag Fee, is on Facebook.
Q: How will this affect my pocketbook if passed?
A: If you use 430 plastic bags a year, which is the city average, then $43 a year.
There is a hardship exemption for those on governmental food assistance.
The city has pledged in its ordinance to make reusable bags available to all residents and visitors so nobody would have to pay the fee unless they cannot remember to bring their bags into the stores.
The absent-minded could also attempt to carry as much as they can without a bag. Juggling could be helpful.
Q: How much has each side raised?
A: Durango Bag It has raised $375 and Bag Ordinance to Vote has raised $1,678.08, according to records filed in September with the city of Durango.
Q: So is it a tax or a fee?
A: There is a certain amount of truth in calling it a tax because it’s a government-imposed fee. Others argue that it is not a tax because it is a voluntary charge – just don’t get a plastic or paper bag at checkout. Plastic bags for produce don’t count.
The city would split the fee revenue 50/50 with retailers, with proceeds earmarked for environmental education, administrative costs and sustainability efforts such as buying reusable bags to give away. Because of the costs involved, the city anticipates it will break even with the fee.
Q: Are reusable bags unsanitary?
A: Bacteria does spread from food. It is a good idea to wash them now and then.
Q: What to do if I leave bags in the car?
A: You always can wheel out the grocery cart to the car and bag the groceries in the parking lot. But don’t drive off with a handheld grocery basket.
jhaug@durangoherald.com
An earlier version of this story erred in saying the bag fee would be capped at $1. The proposal for a cap was eliminated last summer.
How and when to vote
Election Day is Nov. 5. Registered voters will receive ballots by mail, which will be sent out starting Tuesday. If registered voters don’t receive a ballot by Oct. 21, they should call 382-6296.
Ballots must be received at an official location no later than 7 p.m. Nov. 5. Postmarks will not count.
Polling stations will be at the following locations:
La Plata County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, 98 Everett St., Suite C, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday from Tuesday to Oct. 25.
The county clerk’s office at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.
Bayfield Town Hall, 1199 Bayfield Parkway in Bayfield, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 28, 29, 30, 31 and Nov. 1 and 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 2, and from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 5.
Several ballot drop-off locations will be throughout the county.
For more information, visit: bit.ly/SYiJXS
Herald Staff
