It’s not too late for the members of the Kirkland City Council to undo the well-intended but totally unsupportable ban on so-called single-use disposable plastic shopping bags. Letters to the Reporter have repeatedly condemned the regulation for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the net negative impact on the environment when all aspects of the issue are considered. When combined with the adverse economic impact on consumers and retailers (as customers move to other locations without such a ban) and the negative public health considerations, the ban makes no sense whatsoever.

One has to wonder why the members of City Council seem so eager to enact a regulation that nobody needs or wants. While local merchants may believe it will benefit them by reducing their cost of operations to some degree, ultimately it will not. Customers will resent being required to pay for something they are used to getting for free, particularly when it continues to be free a short distance away. They won’t like waiting the extra time in checkout lines while clerks struggle to fit purchases into customer-provided shopping bags, or the increased hassle at self-checkout stations.

While hopefully well-meaning, Council members who support this regulation are out-of-touch with current thinking on the subject. They are certainly on the wrong side in regard to the majority of public opinion.

As for the few readers who have endorsed the ban, I recommend they consider alternative uses for the cloth bags they have acquired. My guess is fellow customers will be laughing at them behind their backs.

Jim Lewis, Kirkland