A recent editorial in The Bulletin suggests there is no need for legislation to ban single-use plastic bags; that education is enough.

To date, this approach, has been grossly inadequate despite multiple movements, worldwide, that provide a wealth of information on the havoc these bags create financially, environmentally and medically.

Countries like China, India, Kenya and Rwanda have become so frustrated with plastic waste, that they often impose penalties, even jail time, because educational programs have been insufficient. Many schools and conservation groups across the country have committees or teams, whose purpose is to educate friends and neighbors, but once again, their impact seems to fall short on a community level.

The overall costs of plastic bag production and transportation are cheaper than paper bags which degrade more easily and are not the solution. The ultimate goal is to bring reusable bags and containers to stores and shops.

Many times, the excuse is that the person has such a bag but forgot them in the car or at home! Remembering bags is a habit, which an ordinance might help reinforce. Most stores also have reusable bags inexpensively for sale.

In addition, The Bulletin stated that these bags can be reused for a variety of purposes.

Yet, to date, the average plastic bag even, if reused as lunch sack or doggy waste, quickly ends up in a landfill or waterway. Americans use approximately 100 billion plastic bags per year (worldwide over 500 billion). Only 3½ percent are recycled, and 12 million barrels of oil are required for production. Plastic materials account for 10-20 percent of landfill waste. As it can take hundreds of years for a single bag to disintegrate, bags are a major component of environmental pollution with significant cleanup cost.

Tons of plastic are deposited in the ocean annually. Despite the widespread dissemination of this information, we have yet to reduce their addition to global waste.

Often ignored is the existence of seven categories of plastics, which cannot be co-mingled with one another or with general recycling. These plastics significantly decrease the value of general recycled materials. This contamination is one of the main reasons China has given for no longer accepting them from the U.S. Ultimately it makes sense to manufacture fewer varieties that can be co-mingled, are biodegradable or compostable. A recent article in The Bulletin stated that mass production of these products are years away and not a solution for current plastic pollution.

The proposal by Un-Bag Bend, to ban the single use plastic bags (of less than 4 mm), is not meant to be punitive. In fact, a phase-in period of between 6 to 12 months has been recommended with no penalty.

In summary, the Plastic Bag Ordinance is meant to prevent waste, decrease environmental pollution, reduce contamination of recyclables and provide incentive for each of us to be more aware of the impact we have on the world around us.

In early June, the Bend City Council voted 5-2, in favor, to move the issue of passing an ordinance to a working session. This session was held on Aug. 15, and the issue was left for further review. At this point, Bend citizens are waiting for the council to decide one of three courses of action:

— To pass an ordinance by year’s end with a trial period and re-evaluation,

— To defer the issue until after this November’s election or

— To abandon the issue for now.

To date, 10 cities in Oregon have passed an ordinance to ban the bag. We hope that Bend can join them.

If you are in favor of passing the ordinance to ban single-use plastic bags, please contact Bend City Council at council@bendoregon.gov. A majority council vote could put the resolution into effect.

— Mary Ellen Coulter lives in Bend