Ohio lawmakers are considering a pair of Republican-backed bills that would toss out current and future bans on single-use plastic bags passed by local governments. But there’s a critic who could potentially trash the “ban the bans” idea: Gov. Mike DeWine.
DeWine, also a Republican, doesn’t like that lawmakers are considering bills that would halt plastic bag bans.
“I think this would be a mistake,” DeWine says. “I think the state government should allow local communities to do what they think is best in regard to this area.”
DeWine said communities should be allowed to try bans to see if they have an impact on the plastic waste disposal problem, but also because they could help the state get a view of what works and what doesn’t.
Three communities have passed plastic bag bans.
An Ohio Senate committee is now considering one of the bills that would scrap those bans, and the other passed a House committee mostly along party lines this summer.
Around 40 critics, including Bexley mayor Ben Kessler, testified this week that the bill would violate home rule without putting forward a solution to the problem of plastic pollution.
