Do you favor plastic bags at your Columbus grocery store? The city might try to break you of your habit. Mayor Michael B. Coleman is considering measures to reduce the use of plastic grocery bags in the city. That could mean charging fees, providing incentives for using reusable bags or enacting an outright ban.

Do you favor plastic bags at your Columbus grocery store? The city might try to break you of your habit.

Mayor Michael B. Coleman is considering measures to reduce the use of plastic grocery bags in the city. That could mean charging fees, providing incentives for using reusable bags or enacting an outright ban.

�He�s resolved to do something with this issue,� said Coleman�s spokesman, Dan Williamson. �He wants to understand the options.�

When asked about plastic-bag fees or bans in the past, Coleman said he preferred to recycle them. But recycling efforts have fallen short, Williamson said. For example, not enough consumers are returning plastic bags to grocery stores for recycling.

�People are not responding,� Williamson said. �That has highlighted a need to take additional action.�

Another problem is that Rumpke, which operates curbside recycling for the city, does not accept plastic bags.

Williamson said city officials will talk with the business community to get feedback and is asking residents to take an online survey to help officials determine priorities for a five-year sustainability plan.

As part of the survey, residents are asked to select the top three of six suggestions to reduce litter. Among them: �Incentivize reusable grocery bags and consider a surcharge or tax on plastic bags.�

�We�re trying to craft something for Columbus,� said David Celebrezze, the city�s GreenSpot coordinator.

The Ohio Grocers Association opposes any move by the city, said Nate Filler, the group�s president and CEO. He said the trade group doesn�t want a patchwork of municipal laws around the state.

Kristopher Keller, a Clintonville area commissioner, wants to pass a resolution on Nov. 6 that would suggest to Columbus City Council that it enact a per-bag fee. Keller said he favors a 10-cent fee.

He said he became interested in pushing for such a measure after he and his wife canoed on the Scioto River in southern Franklin County last year and were troubled by all the plastic bags they saw.

�For 3 miles, it looked like Spanish moss hanging from the trees,� he said.

Environmental groups want to see a citywide conversation to come up with a solution.

That includes taking reasonable steps to reduce the number of plastic bags that litter the landscape, said Laura Fay, secretary for the Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed.

�A ban is not necessary,� Fay said. �Plastic bags serve a valuable purpose for some things.�

The Ohio Sierra Club has not taken a position on the bags in Columbus but supports the reduction of plastics in the environment, said Elissa Yoder, the group�s conservation coordinator.

Some grocery stores, such as Lucky�s Market in Clintonville and Whole Foods, do not carry single-use plastic bags. Others give discounts for customers who bring their own reusable bags.

Last month, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the country�s first statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery and convenience stores. Cities and towns across that state had similar bans already in place.

The California law is to take effect in July, but the American Progressive Bag Alliance, a trade group for plastic-bag manufacturers, said it is pursuing a referendum to repeal it.

Chicago and Seattle also have enacted plastic-bag bans. Washington has a 5-cent tax on plastic and paper bags and found that it reduced bag consumption by 67 percent.

Los Angeles exempted people on food stamps and in the Women, Infants and Children�s program from paying a 10-cent charge per paper bag.

To take the city�s online survey, go to: http://columbus.gov/SpeakUp/.

mferenchik@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik