Those of us who worked hard on Easton’s Plastic Bag Law two years ago were shocked to learn that Easton Town Council President Frank Gunsallus is planning to introduce a big change to the law.
The law which prohibits stores from providing plastic bags at checkout was unanimously passed two years ago and went into effect April 2, 2023. It was the result of months of work by a busy team of town leaders, Easton residents, and members of our environmental organizations, with encouragement and backing from Talbot watermen and local businesses. Since then, plastic bags no longer hang from our trees, pile up in hedgerows and ditches, and end up in our waterways. The economic and environmental benefits for Easton are many.
Central to the law’s success is the 10-cent fee. The Plastic Bag Law states that retailers cannot offer single-use plastic bags at checkout but can provide paper bags for a fee of 10 cents each. Retailers keep the 10-cent fee to help defray the cost of paper bags. Shoppers have a choice of buying paper bags at checkout or simply bringing their own reusable bags.
The 10-cent fee supports businesses in transitioning away from plastic and the fee helps motivate shoppers to use reusable bags.
So why would the normally business-forward Easton Town Council now impose financial burdens on our businesses? If you take away the fee, the business bears the full cost of offering paper bags which can cost 10-50 cents each.
Furthermore, businesses will have to pay for more paper bags as shoppers fall back into old habits: why bring a reusable bag if there are free bags at checkout?
And, while not a direct business interest, increased demand on paper bags impacts trees too.
I think some who are concerned about the fee confuse it with a tax. As one retailer explained it, the paper bag fee is just one more SKU—a scannable product ID for tracking inventory–in a system full of thousands of SKUs. Ringing up a paper bag is no different than ringing up a pack of gum. Businesses are not required to compile and report paper bag fees. It’s income to the retailer that helps offset the cost of the paper bag.
To avoid the fee, you can carry things out without a bag, bring someone to help you carry items to the car, roll your cart out to the parking lot and fill your trunk, wear pants with big pockets–or, just bring your reusable bags. It’s your choice.
A representative from the Maryland Retailers Association—a trade group representing thousands of Maryland retailers—twice came to public hearings on the Plastic Bag bill urging town council members to add the bag fee to avoid burdening retailers.
If you get rid of the bag fee, the bag law starts to fail. Then the Town of Easton would be the first jurisdiction in Maryland to fall backwards. Typically, jurisdictions that passed the law revise it to add a fee or increase the fee because businesses asked for it. If the law is disabled, we worry about the future of the law itself. What does falling backwards look like to those considering Easton as a future home or place of business?
And what message is the Town Council President sending to all of us here who care about the economic and environmental vibrance of Easton–residents, watermen, environmentalists, businesses, council members—who invested so much time and effort in crafting a successful law?
The proposed ordinance is on the town website. It will be introduced at Tuesday’s town council meeting (5:30 PM in the Town Council chambers). A vote on the proposed changes is slated for the following meeting (Monday, September 16).
William Keppen says
Voters make mistakes, sometimes. There is a way to correct that.
James fitzgerald says
This is shocking..wow: “We are not going back”!
Sue Regier says
Gonsallus showing his true colors again. Getting rid of plastic bags eliminates a large element of the trash that accumulates on land and in the sea. It’s been implemented in many other cities and states for many years with excellent results. Why would we take away a small incentive to business owners for helping the environment?
Joyce DeLaurentis says
Don’t go back.
Gloria Sauer says
Interesting that we worry about bags in our trees and gutters. Funny, the town didn’t outlaw sixpack rings, milk jug rings and pull tabs, all deadly to waterfowl and wildlife. All of the plastic bottles, jugs, jars to keep them from floating in our waterways. How about plastic film wrappings on meat and produce? Ziploc bags? The town continues to tell us we must bag our leaves and yard waste in large PLASTIC bags. We now can’t recycle grocery bags for litter pans, or picking up after our dogs. No we must BUY plastic bags for that now. Seems a bit hypocritical. The Amish market still gives plastic bags. Will those not find their way into the rivers and trees? How about all the plastic soda cups I see in our gutters. They don’t float away either? Then think about all the plastics they DO allow and why did we not have to pay for plastic bags before? Funny, not too many years ago, we HAD to use plastic because we were killing trees. Why not just outlaw bags altogether? Or is this just about giving retailers a break on bag costs? This town has much bigger problems than bags hanging in trees. For me, I will continue to toss my things back in my cart and let the employees decide if I paid for everything in it.And I will continue shop in counties where I can still get a bag if I want, where stores are better stocked and nicer than those in Easton. I’ll try not to hang my bag in my trees too.
Bob Kopec says
Does Mr. Gunsallus own stock in a paper bag manufacturing company or simply objects to paying 10 cants for a bag?
Ann Farley says
Please consider replacing “plastic bags” with biodegradable plastic bags! They are made from natural biodegradable products and dont harm the environment. There are also recycleable plastic bags. I see them in grocery stores all the time. If merchants were required to use those biodegradable plastic bags the non-biodegradable bags could eventually stop being produced. Help the merchants, customers and earth all in one decision.
Eric MacClellan III says
Easton voted for Frank Gunsallus and Easton gets what it deserves. A proud boy in the pocket of a couple of wacky Talbot GOP members (who don’t live in town limits) who hates the LGBTQ+ community, bullies those who disagree with him and now wants to rescind the bag mandate the citizens of the town wanted. This is what happens when you don’t know who you voted for, but you did anyway because he “wore a tie” or “he knocked on my door”. Also, where’s the mayor on this? Her silence must mean that she’s in lock-step with Mr. Gunsallus, which is just as troublesome.