At a forum Jan. 30, the City of Austin collected input from residents and stakeholders on an ordinance that, if approved by Austin City Council, would ban retailers from distributing plastic bags. As drafted, retailers would begin phasing out the use of plastic bags March 1, 2013, with a full ban going into effect March 1, 2014.

Ronnie Volkening, president and CEO of the Texas Retailers Association, was one of the stakeholders who spoke in opposition to the ban.

"The bottom line is that the City of Austin has not expended any time to education," he said.

If approved by Austin City Council, beginning March 1, 2013, the ban calls for retailers to charge either 10 cents per single-use bag or $1 per transaction depending on their preference.

Volkening expressed concern about the disproportionately negative effect the fees would have on families and lower-income residents. He recommended that the city invest more time and effort into education for the public—not only what the city wants to do as far as the proposal, but why.

He said they hope to still have the opportunity to gather more constructive feedback from Austin City Council and stakeholders.

Mark Daniels, vice president of sustainability and environmental Policy for Hilex Poly, a national manufacturer and recycler of plastic bags, also pointed to effects on low-income families.

"I believe most families would agree that they would much rather purchase their food than bags to take them home in," he said.

Daniels also spoke about the importance of freedom for retailers to choose the types of bag they want to use.

"Texas does not need to be a nanny state," he said.

Robin Scheider, executive director for the Texas Campaign for the Environment, spoke in support of the ban, saying that since the introduction of plastic bags in the 1970s, there have been many unintended consequences on the environment.

According to Schneider, 60 percent of Austin residents think plastic bag litter is significant. She said the ban would be the critical first step in Austin's move to becoming a "zero waste" community by 2040.

She also mentioned she does not think food banks should be covered under ban.

"We do not want to crimp their style," she said.

Kimberly Flores provided public testimony in support of the ban.

Flores said her grandfather was one of the engineers who developed plastic bags in the 1970s at a time when an effort was being made to reduce the number of trees cut for paper bags.

"Four generations later, my son is saying that it is really sad to see a plastic bag around a baby turtle's neck," Flores said.

"I have an inherited responsibility," she added. "What my grandfather created, I would love to go full-circle and put an end to it."

The forum was broadcast via several media and asked for viewer participation through telephone, text, email and an online poll—a first for the city.

Larry Schooler, the city's community engagement consultant, acted as moderator. He said that with a city the size of Austin, it is a challenge to find a way for all people to participate, and the city is doing its best to give people more options.

"I think tonight was really a great start for us in this new arena of public participation," Schooler said.

City Council unanimously passed a resolution in August that directed City Manager Marc Ott to draft an ordinance by November, but the debate goes back several years.

In 2007, City Council directed the city manager at the time, Toby Futrell, to evaluate strategies for limiting use of non-compostable plastic bags and promoting reusable bags.

From January 2008 through June 2009, the city conducted a reusable bag campaign, which followed another City Council resolution that called for a 50 percent reduction of plastic bags that flowed into the Austin's solid waste stream by June 2009.

Part of that initiative was a pilot program involving 5,000 households, which were invited to participate in curbside plastic bag recycling. According to a report, only about 25 percent of bags were set out for recycling, and the cost of picking up and recycling the bags was significantly more expensive than the going rate of the material collected.

The city will host a public forum on the proposed ban March 1. For more information, visit www.austintexas.gov/department/new-customer