It’s a question between personal convenience and protecting the environment, and in the case of plastic bags, convenience wins for now.
The city’s ban on plastic bags went into effect in January 2020. It was lifted during the pandemic but was reinstated last summer.
Despite ample public support to the contrary and a veto by the mayor, the Albuquerque City Council voted 6-3 recently to lift the ban. Environmentalists are not happy with the decision.
“We care about the world we are leaving you,” Kathryn Gonzales said during public comment before the council, KRQE reported. “We’re making the best choices we can to ensure you have water and air to pass on to your own children.”
Other people, including some in the mayor’s office, suggested the council should keep the ban in place until an impact study could be completed.
“We asked [the] council to come to the table and work with us to find a productive path forward, one that works for businesses [and] residents and helps us create a cleaner city,” Ava Montoya, a spokesperson for Mayor Tim Keller’s office, said, KRQE reported. “After tonight’s vote, we hope [the] council can move their attention to urgent priorities for Albuquerque, like addressing crime and homelessness and creating opportunities for youth and working families.”
Supporters of lifting the ban believe traditional plastic bags are more convenient than reusable or paper bags.
“I reuse those bags for trash can liners, I reuse them for my pets, and that is actually superior to recycling,” Paul Gessing said during public comment, KRQE reported. “It does require a lot of effort to bring groceries and food items out to the vehicle, and plastic bags make our lives more convenient.”
Councilor Pat Davis, who did not want to repeal the ban, said it’s important for Albuquerque to set a standard that other cities in the state can follow. Taos is among the cities that also imposed a ban on plastic bags.
“Retailers have adapted, customers have adapted; it didn’t have the sky-falling consequences that opponents predicted, and almost every city in the country now is moving in this direction,” Davis said, according to KRQE. “We have some new councilors; they want to try to change some of these votes, bring in some new voices, and if they’re successful, we’re going to count on the mayor’s veto to protect the bill and prevent the repeal.”
