Plastic bag ban fails in Montana for lack of signatures

Proposed ballot initiatives to ban single-use plastic bags in Bozeman and Missoula have failed to qualify due to lack of signatures.

Montana Plastic Free, the organization behind the ballot initiatives, says on its website that plastic is harming the environment and human health.

“On average, bans on single-use plastic bags can eliminate almost 300 plastic bags per person, per year,” the organization states in a FAQ on its website. “Researchers have found that plastic bag bans successfully reduce plastic bag litter by at least one-third wherever they have been implemented.”

Bans on single-use plastic bags have been instituted in other parts of the country for similar reasons. In Montana’s case the first offense for anyone violating the ban would be a fine of $1000. For each additional offense, there would be a $2000 fine.

On the other side of the argument is the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance. Director Erin Hass called news of the failure to qualify a “win for working families” in Montana.

“These proposals under consideration were overly broad and would have resulted in a ban on the sale of all plastic bags – not only single-use grocery bags but also reusable shopping bags, trash bags, sleeping bags, backpacks, handbags, and more,” said Hass in a press release. “That’s why Montana has a statewide uniformity law – to prevent disruption and confusion caused by broad and vague local ordinances and to ensure the rules are clear and manageable for local governments and businesses.”