There’s still one more step before the ban becomes law.

Yesterday, Philadelphia City Council voted to ban plastic bags during a Licenses and Inspections hearing.

The original bill had a ban on plastic and 15 cents for all other bags. However, the fee was removed from the bill due to a compromise with Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez saying the fee was regressive to low-income residents.

According to WHYY, there is backlash on removing the free. “No fee is a mistake,” Maurice Sampson, the Eastern Pennsylvania director for Clean Water Action. “If you can get a bag easily, you’re not going to look for a reusable bag.”

Plastic bags do NOT belong in the recycling bin, as we’ve said 8000 times before.

Editor’s note: The plastic bag hearing VIP was Ron Whyte, of Deep Green Philly & Trash Academy:

One of the 2019 plastic bag ban efforts was spearheaded by Trash Academy, who created a social media and billboard campaign across the city.

array(2) {
  [0]=>
  object(WP_Term)#12731 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(130)
    ["name"]=>
    string(12) "City Council"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(12) "city-council"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(130)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(13)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
  [1]=>
  object(WP_Term)#12720 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(617)
    ["name"]=>
    string(12) "plastic bags"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(12) "plastic-bags"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(620)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(41)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
}

Julie Hancher is the co-founder and Executive Director of Green Philly, an independent media organization making sustainability accessible, affordable and actionable. Since launching Green Philly in 2008, she has grown it from a passion project into a leading voice for local climate storytelling, pairing impactful journalism with community events and experiences. Julie is a frequent speaker on climate, media innovation and the future of local journalism, and is the creator of SustainPHL and EcoFair. Outside of Green Philly, you can find her hiking, biking, traveling, or exploring Philadelphia. View all posts by Julie Hancher