BOZEMAN, Mont. — Unofficial results from Gallatin County are in and they indicate Bozeman voters want to make plastic bags at checkout a thing of the past.
More than 14,000 Bozeman residents voted to implement a plastics ordinance banning single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam packaging in the city, with about 63% of votes in favor of the measure.
“We’re excited,” said Terry Quatraro, organizer of Gallatin Valley Beyond Plastics, one of the groups working to get the measure on the ballot. “This is a huge win, and not just for Bozeman. It’s basically a victory for the entire United States.”
Quatraro said what is unique about this initiative is that it was completely community-led, unlike similar measures in other cities that were taken by local governments.
Groups including Gallatin Valley Beyond Plastics, Valley of the Flowers Project and Cottonwood Environmental Law, worked alongside community volunteers to collect enough signatures to get the initiative on the ballot.
But it was an uphill battle for organizers, who faced uncertainty over whether the measure would appear on ballots just days before they were printed because of whether the number of signatures would be determined by general or special election standards.
But they prevailed, and Quatraro said she’s glad the initiative has support across the political spectrum.
“We cannot look at the well-being and health of community members as something political,” she told NBC Montana.
The initiative aims to avoid the pitfalls of similar bans, such as those with loopholes that allow customers to purchase single-use plastic bags at the checkout or allow retailers to distribute thicker plastic bags intended for reuse, items that are not penalized under Bozeman’s plastic ordinance.
Quatraro hopes Bozeman will serve as a role model for other cities across the country and here in Montana, including Billings and Missoula, where similar measures have been considered.
“I think the other cities and states are watching Bozeman very closely right now to see how this plays out,” Quatraro said.
The plastics regulation will come into force next May, after which retailers will no longer be allowed to offer products in polystyrene foam packaging or offer customers single-use plastic bags at checkout.
Exceptions to the ban include untreated produce bags and other loose items such as grains or coffee, in addition to plastic straws and stirrers, which may remain available at customer request.
Retailers who violate the ordinance will be subject to fines of up to $1,000 for a first violation and fines of up to $2,000 for each subsequent violation.
Quatraro estimates that this measure will divert more than 15 million plastic bags from landfills each year.
“It’s not going to solve the problem 100% because some plastics are necessary, but the fact is it will eliminate single-use plastic bags in the city of Bozeman,” Quatraro said. “That’s a huge, huge step.”