Statewide single-use plastic bag ban moves forward in the Legislature
New Mexicans use at least 330 million single-use plastic bags a year, according to the New Mexico Environment Department and the New Mexico Recycling Coalition. These bags are used for 12 minutes on average, but have a life expectancy of 1,000 years.
House Bill 392, the Single-Use Plastic Bag Act, proposes establishing a statewide ban on the bags, moving the entire state to join Carlsbad, Las Cruces, Silver City, Santa Fe and Taos in reducing plastic waste. The bill, carried by Rep. Tara Lujan (D-Santa Fe), passed through the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee Thursday on a party line vote of 7-4. It will head to the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee next.
'This bill would drastically reduce the amount of litter in the Land of Enchantment by banning single-use plastic bags with some common sense exceptions,' Lujan said the first time the bill was discussed by the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Feb. 20.
The bill would require stores to charge a 10-cent fee per paper bag, with 3 cents going to the store and the rest going to the municipality or county for litter reduction and outreach. Lujan explained to committee members that municipalities have the choice to 'opt into' the program and adopt an ordinance to do so. If they choose not to join, the seven cents per bag will go to the Environment Department for litter reduction programs.
Exceptions to the bag ban include ones used: for takeout food; separating produce for sanitary reasons; prescription drugs; drycleaning and several other situations. HB392 also allows municipalities or the Environment Department to collect fines from a retail establishment if they do not comply. If passed, the bill would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
The fiscal impact report notes that in addition to creating microplastics, plastic bags are considered 'contaminants' by materials recovery facilities. They can shut down facility operations for hours if they get wrapped around sorting equipment and it can be dangerous for workers to remove the bags from machinery. The report estimates facilities could save $3.8 million a year if plastic bags were banned.
Rep. Jonathan Henry (R-Artesia) asked why the Legislature wouldn't allow municipalities or counties to take the time to make their own decision about adopting a plastic bag ban.
'This has been on the table for quite a while, if you will, and communities have had the opportunity to opt in,' Lujan responded. 'We're at a critical place where we need to take the action and that's what this bill delivers.'
Lujan co-sponsored a similar bill in 2023, Senate Bill 243, but it died in committee before it could be discussed on the Senate floor. Albuquerque also established a single-use plastic bag ban in 2020, but the City Council repealed the ban in March 2022, after overriding a veto from Mayor Tim Keller.
Danielle Prokop contributed to the reporting and writing of this article.
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