Why not everyone wants a ban on plastic bags in Beaufort County

There’s no rush for Beaufort County residents to ditch their plastic bags and purchase reusable ones — at least not yet.

The discussion between Beaufort County officials about a plastic bag ban was slowed Monday in order to get more input from the community.

During a County Council meeting on Monday, council members voted to send the ordinance back to the Natural Resources Committee, where it was passed less than a week ago.

“No matter when we push an ordinance through, we’re going to get unintended consequences,” Chairman Paul Sommerville said during the meeting. “If we move too quickly, we’re going to miss something.”

The committee plans to research the facts of a potential ban more, draft their own ordinance and hold meetings both north and south of the Broad River in the coming months. During this process, the committee hopes to include input from each municipality in the county, as well as constituents on both sides of the table.

Rikki Parker, south coast project manager for the Coastal Conservation League, has been leading the push to pass a plastic bag ban or fee for the last year or two. After Monday’s meeting, she said the decision to send the issue back to committee was still a positive step forward.

“We saw the councilmen answering good questions, and we want a thoughtful process,” Parker said. “We want people to be able to voice their opinion about this issue, and we want a solution that works for local government, that works for businesses and that works for citizens.

“I hope we don’t see it extended for years, but of course, a thoughtful process is what we want to see.”

Not so fast: Opponents of ban step forward

In the meantime, those opposed to the ban are beginning to come out of the woodwork.

During the last week, council members said they heard from dozens of community members and representatives from the plastic industry urging them against the ban.

The Greater Bluffton Republican Club came out against the ban on Sunday, the day before the County Council reviewed the ordinance for the first time.

“As Republicans, we consider ourselves not just social conservatives and fiscal conservatives,” said Paul Runko, vice president of the club. “We don’t want to financially impact Beaufort County residents unless it’s necessary.

“Maybe we won’t notice paying 60 cents for bags at the grocery store, but our brothers and sisters at or below the poverty line are going to feel this the most.”

Although Runko said members of his organization are in favor of protecting the environment, he said the notion that the ban will reduce litter is not yet convincing.

“We’re flexible. This doesn’t mean we can’t be convinced if we see some convincing facts, but as of right now, there’s too many unanswered questions, and with the previous case studies, it’s just not something we can support right now.”

Runko was supportive of the council slowing down the ordinance adaptation process so that everyone could “dive deep into the issue” and make sure they have all the facts.

This story was originally published August 29, 2017 at 10:24 AM with the headline "Why not everyone wants a ban on plastic bags in Beaufort County."