Oregon Public Broadcasting

The familiar plastic grocery bag could soon be a thing of the past in Oregon. Lawmakers are set to take up a measure Tuesday that would ban the bags for most purchases starting in November. The idea enjoys support in unexpected quarters.

The bill would ban single-use plastic bags at checkout stands at grocery and other retail stores. Customers could bring their own reusable bag or purchase a paper bag from the store for at least five cents.

Environmental groups have sought a plastic bag ban. They say the sacks clog landfills, jam up recycling equipment, and are a major source of pollution.

But unlike an attempt to ban the bags last year, this year's effort has the support of the grocery store industry.

Joe Gilliam of the Northwest Grocery Association says some Oregon cities were thinking about their own ban and in some cases even a tax on plastic bags.

This ban would create a uniform statewide policy. 

Joe Gilliam: "We wanted customers to just go in the store and expect the same thing from all retailers. So they only have to kind of acclimate to one change in all this."

Plastic bags could still be offered for products inside the store such as produce or meat. But when you check out, you'd no longer hear the question "Paper or plastic?"

Oregon Senate Bill 536