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Coalition renews push to ban plastic bags in Park City

Posted at 6:19 PM, Apr 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-21 15:34:10-04

PARK CITY – There’s a renewed push in Park City to ban plastic bags.

Cathy Batten and Shanelle Rodman have formed the Park City Plastic Coalition, and they want to bag the bag.

They’re asking city leaders to pass an ordinance banning the use of plastic bags – the first city in Utah to do so.

“Lots of cities in California have done it. I was there at a Target, you have to purchase a plastic bag,” said Sharelle Rodman.

The friends came up with the idea after visiting the Bahamas during a volunteer trip.

“Here we are on this beautiful tropical island, and beaches were covered with plastic pollution,” Cathy Batten said.

They are working closely with the Luke Cartin, the Environmental Sustainability Manager for Park City.

“There's over 230 plastic bag ban ordinances across the country right now,” Cartin said.

Cartin is looking to see what works in other communities and is trying to figure out if the ban would work in Park City.

“I've reached out to our grocery stores as well to talk to them," Cartin said.

He worries about the impact it might have on tourism.

“You have folks traveling from all over the world to come visit beautiful Park City," Cartin said. “The hope would be to leave options for paper bags, reusable bags. I'm focusing on a thin-film grocery store bag right now just as a starting point.”

Supporters of the ordinance hopes others will see their vision.

“We wanted to do something," Rodman said. "Start some kind of momentum, some kind of change that can better our community."

Park City leaders will meet May 11 to go over all their options and from there, the public will get the chance to weigh in.