Sierra Club Central New Mexico Group Zero Waste Action Team. Photo by Cecilia Chávez Beltrán

By CAROL P. CHAMBERLAND
Zero Waste Chair
Sierra Club Central New Mexico 

With staggering disregard for logic, science and public opinion, Albuquerque’s City Council voted to repeal its own Clean and Green Ordinance, more commonly known as the single-use plastic bag ban.

The embattled ordinance began life in 2019 as a groundswell of public demand for action on plastic pollution. Enacted into policy in January 2020, it was suspended months later when fears of COVID-19 infection deemed single use bags to be a safer alternative. Medical research eventually proved this fear was unfounded, and the ordinance was reinstated in August 2021.

At initial implementation time, a definition was added stipulating bags over 2.25 mils were exempt. This allowed large retailers to distribute thicker bags in defiance of the intent of the ordinance. Public outcry forced the removal of the thickness loophole, and the more carefully defined ban went into effect in December 2021. The ordinance also mandated a study of the law’s effects, to be concluded by June 30, when it would be passed to a select committee for further recommendation.

While the study was underway, Councilor Brooke Bassan introduced legislation to repeal the ban altogether, citing twisted claims of sanitary, economic and social issues. Public outcry ensued via emails, phone calls and letters to the editor. 

Bassan’s repeal proposal passed through the Council’s Finance Committee review in February and reached full Council consideration March 7. Scheduled near the end of the evening’s Zoom agenda, a bevy of public commenters waited unseen for their turn to address the Council. Due to the large number of speakers, they were restricted to one minute apiece.

Director Matthew Whelan of Solid Waste was on hand to give a concise presentation of recycling facts and the results of the study to date. Then the roll call of speakers began. For a full hour, forty-six citizens urged a No vote on the repeal and three spoke in favor of repeal. 

Nevertheless, in the name of “freedom to choose”, the repeal legislation passed with a vote of 6 in favor and 3 opposed. Mayor Keller has the authority to veto the vote, but the numbers suggest the city council could override his veto. This issue probably won’t be settled for weeks. 

For your voting pleasure, the Regressives are: Councilors Bassan, Grout, Lewis, Jones, Peña, and Sanchez. Kudos to the Progressives, Councilors Benton, Davis and Fiebelkorn for stoutly defending Clean and Green. Plastic pollution is not going away – and neither are we.