Logan business owners worry a ban on plastic bags will push their customers to purchase goods in the nearby communities of Providence and North Logan. But Logan City councilmember Herm Olsen thinks the ban could appeal to certain consumers.
“My take is that it will actually attract customers to them,” Olsen said, “people who feel a sensitivity to the environment and do not want to support businesses which are part of a pollution problem.”
Olsen said the Logan City plastic bag ban is only one idea for helping reduce waste and encourage re-use.
“I planned an ordinance which would simply ban single-use plastic bags. That would only apply to Logan,” Olsen said. “Why don’t we get the entire county invested not through a ban? If merchants choose to distribute single-use plastic bags, let them pay a surcharge for the right to pollute and they would pay an additional amount so it would be added to their garbage fee every month depending on the volume of garbage that they generate. They would then be required to charge customers for those single-use plastic bags. Each merchant would make its own decision whether to pay those extra fees or eliminate them.”
A Cache County program could be fee-based and will require action by the Cache County Council. In the meantime....
“My recommendation will be that we pass the ban, that we defer its implementation until late summer perhaps, which will give the county time to review the other proposal about the surcharge for the garbage fee. If the county agrees, then we would rescind the ban for Logan only,” Olsen said.
The Logan City Council is scheduled to discuss the plastic bag ban proposal during Tuesday’s meeting at 5:30 in the city council chambers.
