Officials make difficult decision in fight to ban harmful items from stores: 'We are disappointed in the result'

An Ohio city had its plastic bag ban overturned by the state's District Court of Appeals. 

The legal battle put a stop to efforts to reduce plastic pollution, frustrating many local residents and environmental advocates. 

What's happening?

As the Athens County Independent reported, Athens attempted to ban single-use plastic bags. 

A Fourth District Court of Appeals decision stopped the ban from moving forward. Unfortunately, appealing the case to the Ohio Supreme Court would be too much of a financial strain on the city to continue the fight. 

Now, individual retailers and vendors in Athens get to choose whether they use plastic bags or not. Advocates have stated they are disappointed in local businesses' failure to adopt plastic bag alternatives on their own. 

The politics of the Republican-led Ohio Supreme Court contributed to the city's decision not to continue pursuing the plastic bag ban. 

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"This decision does not reflect a change in the city's commitment to reducing single-use plastic bags or defending Home Rule," said Athens Law Director Lisa Eliason. "Rather, the decision is based on the reality that due to the current political makeup of the Ohio Supreme Court, the city has very little chance of prevailing."

Eliason also shared: "We are disappointed in the result but proud the city championed this cause." 

Why are plastic bag bans important?

Plastic bag bans are effective in reducing pollution and protecting our environment. Fewer plastic bags on our planet mean fewer risks to wildlife and less landfill pollution, as plastic bags can take 1,000 years to break down. 

With plastic bag bans in place, people learn to adopt sustainable habits, such as bringing reusable bags to stores. Small changes like this can have a big impact when more cities, states, and countries prioritize conservation over convenience. 

It's understandable when the ideals of freedom of choice and convenience prompt a legal or political standoff about topics like this, but it's nonetheless unfortunate when those deadlocks get in the way of working toward a sustainable future. Communities then experience more litter and plastic waste, detracting from the beauty of neighborhoods and green spaces. This is the kind of issue regulations are designed to address. 

What's being done to curb plastic bag use?

Although this news from Athens, Ohio, is discouraging, there is still much progress being made to reduce single-use plastic bags worldwide. 

Governments have been able to eliminate billions of plastic bags from their waste streams and contribute to a safer, cleaner environment with fewer microplastics leaching into the soil and waterways.

Even if you live in a community that has yet to pass a plastic bag ban, you can set a sustainable example for the people and businesses around you. Using less plastic in daily life can look like carrying reusable grocery bags, drinking from reusable water bottles, and bringing your own to-go containers to restaurants.

In the stores where you regularly shop, consider speaking with a manager and encouraging them to ditch single-use plastic bags in favor of eco-friendly alternatives or charging a fee for disposable bags, which can encourage customers to bring reusable options. 

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