The Kirkland City Council is continuing to examine options for a potential ban on most plastic bags at city businesses, despite a 2013 survey of residents that showed overwhelming opposition.

The council discussed the matter with city staff at its Jan. 20 meeting, with the hope of having a draft ordinance to vote on sometime later in the year. Staff recommendations include a minimum paper bag fee of five cents, with retailers retaining the revenue. The staff also stated that all businesses would have to comply with the ordinance requirements within nine months. If passed, the ordinance is expected to go into effect at the beginning of next year.

The ordinance would rely very heavily on voluntary compliance, according to the memo.

The majority of the council supported the idea of the paper bag fee, which they said is a necessary incentive for people to use recyclable bags, though they had concerns about the impact on business owners who already offer paper bags for free. They also voiced support for allowing retailers to keep the revenue, as they argued it would be too cumbersome and confusing if they had to send the money back to the city.

Although the ordinance is intended to reduce the use of plastic bags, they agreed to numerous exemptions for practical reasons. Among the exemptions were those used to package bulk items, such as fruit and vegetables. Also, restaurants would be allowed to use plastic bags for take-out food, according to a city memo.

Council member Toby Nixon, who repeatedly expressed his opposition to the idea of a plastic bag ban, said that while he is in favor of as many exemptions as possible, the number of exemptions seems to defeat the purpose of the ordinance.

“The problem is perpetuated,” he said. “I was astounded when I saw this list. They’re (plastic bags) still going to be out there. Why bother?”

According to a May 2013 survey conducted by Elway Research, Inc. of around 400 Kirkland residents, 80 percent reuse more than one type of bag and nearly half of them already bring their own bags to the grocery store. The survey also found that residents heavily favored voluntary measures, albeit 85 percent thought stores should be required to have plastic bag recycling bins. Nearly 70 percent opposed any ban on disposable shopping bags.

Kirkland has the highest single-family recycling rate in King County at 68 percent.

Mayor Amy Walen defended the council’s support in spite of the survey, comparing it to laws that require people to wear motorcycle helmets, saying that people’s right to make choices has to be balanced with social and environmental concerns.

“I think that there is established science that says plastic in our system is expensive,” she said. “The less of it in the system the better… We have to balance that strong public interest with people’s desire to make their own free choice.”

Walen also said the council is tailoring the ordinance in order to make it comparable to similar measures passed in cities like Seattle and Issaquah and compromises are being made.

There are some, however, who have questioned whether or not a reduction in plastic bag use would be of any environmental benefit. During public comment, prior to the council’s discussion on the matter, Todd Myers, a Kirkland business owner and environmental director at the Washington Policy Center, criticized the ban as being unscientific.

He stated that when Rhode Island was considering a similar ban, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts referred to it as “borderline comical.” The real concern, Myers said, is nitrification of water, which removes the oxygen. This process, often caused by fertilizer runoff, can make whole areas uninhabitable for marine life.

Walen told the Reporter that “there’s conflicting science out there. I believe the information I have received…anything not reusable is probably not going to be my first choice.”

“I believe in science that says less plastic in the system is better,” she said.