Allegheny County Council discusses implementing plastic bag ban

Pittsburgh’s plastic bag ban may be expanding if some members of Allegheny County Council get their way.

The council took up the issue of banning plastic bags on Tuesday, 10 days after Pittsburgh’s ban went into effect.

Pittsburgh’s ban has been met with mixed reviews and it’s no different for this county-wide proposal.

We spoke with shoppers. One woman told us she’s OK with the ban but doesn’t like the idea of paying for paper bags.

We’re told the issue will first go to committee and it’ll be some time before council votes on making it law.

The county’s bill, which was modeled after the city’s, was officially introduced at Tuesday night’s council meeting. The bill is now sitting in committee, but the council wants to hear from the public before taking a vote.

Paula Shomo, who lives outside the city in Sheraden, is in favor of the ban.

“I think that’s great,” Shomo said. “They’re dirty. They’re nasty. They’re nonrecyclable.”

Some council members say the legislation is meant to cut down on pollution and waste, arguing many plastic bags end up in waterways and litter the streets.

If passed, stores and restaurants would have to charge most customers $0.10 for a paper bag unless they have a reusable one.

“I think any measures we can take, even seemingly small measures that might slow the harshest impacts of our changing climate, I think that’s a good thing, said District 11 councilmember Paul Klein.

Republican At-Large Councilman Sam DeMarco, however, says the bill is short-sighted. He wants more research done on a ban’s environmental impact.

“The council needs to get back to actually solve the problems that could make people’s lives better,” DeMarco said. “Focus on the things within in our purview and stop trying to take news or get clicks by coming up with these things that aren’t doing anything but inconveniencing the people out there.”

Though the City of Pittsburgh’s plastic bags ordinance was implemented about a week and a half ago, some small business owners are still figuring out how to make it work.

Jeff Cohen has owned Smallman Street Deli in the Strip District for 23 years. While he says he’s all for helping the environment, he says cutting plastic is not that easy when he’s competing against big box stores.

“I’ve been looking for two months to find replacement bags at a reasonable cost, you can’t,” Cohen said. “At the end of the day, it’s just going to hurt the consumer. We’re just going to pass the cost along.”

Some council members Channel 11 spoke with don’t expect to vote on the bill before the end of the year. If that happens, the bill will need to be re-introduced next year.

County Council members said they want to hear from the public first.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2023 Cox Media Group