ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. — Paper or plastic? It’s an option most shoppers have. But if one Florida house bill passes, that choice will be eliminated for coastal communities.
“I think it's a really good idea," shopper Barbara Hubbard said. "We are using more and more paper bags and people are also getting the bags they use over and over."
House Bill 93 would let municipalities with pilot programs to "enact an ordinance for the regulation or ban of disposable plastic bags."
Some people, as we learned, think it's unnecessary.
“I’m environmentally conscience. I recycle all the time and I throw my trash away. I’m responsible. I don't need a politician telling me how I should act,” shopper Russell Nader said.
Environmentalists say that plastic bags wind up in the water and on beaches, ultimately putting fish and marine life in jeopardy.
Action News Jax asked the mayors of Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach their thoughts on the bill. Neptune Beach mayor Elaine Brown said enforcement would most likely be the biggest problem. Atlantic Beach mayor Mitch Reeves said they need to learn more about it.
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Whether it passes or not, the conversation of using more reusable bags is getting more people to think about the harm of plastic bags toward Mother Earth.
But if the bill passes, the regulations or bans would be short-lived, taking effect “no earlier than January 1, 2018, and expires no later than June 30, 2020.