Portland weighs bag fee and foam ban
Some Portland businesses are concerned about the impact a proposed bag fee and foam container ban could have on customers but also the bottom line.
The Portland City Council is expected to consider the two anti-litter measures tonight as part of a nationwide “green packaging” push, the Portland Press Herald reported. If approved, Portland would become the first community in Maine to enact such policies. Both measures have been endorsed by the council’s transportation, sustainability and energy committee.
The first proposed policy would require retail stores that generate at least 2% of its sales from food to charge customers five cents for every plastic or paper shopping bag used. The second proposed policy would ban use of polystyrene foam containers at restaurants and retail shops.
Curtis Picard, executive director of the Maine Retail Association, told the Press Herald that the two measures combined would serve a “one-two punch to the business community and low-income residents.” The Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce and the owners of the Anania’s Variety stories said they are also opposed to the measures.
Proponents of the measures include the Surfrider Foundation, a San Clemente, California-based nonprofit that focuses on water quality and beach-access issues, which said they “would definitely set Portland apart as a leader for green packaging and sustainability.”
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