Change is good. Change is hard.

Although they acknowledge that plastic bags are not the best choice, downtown business merchants have resisted a ban proposed by the Bring Your Own Bag and Bottle (BYOB) group which would make it illegal for Port Townsend retailers to distribute them. Because of that, BYOB has reworded its petition to propose a charge to consumers asking for any kind of bag at retail stores instead of banning plastic bags altogether. Merchants are reluctant to do that as well.

"Banning seems to have gotten everyone into a tailspin," said BYOB proponent Ann Katzenbach at the June 10 meeting with her group and about a dozen merchants who responded to the Main Street Program's call for input.

So far, BYOB has gathered more than 800 signatures. "We don't have a number that we need. We're just going to keep at it," said Katzenbach. "What it represents is an indication to City Council that it's an issue a lot of people care about. Kids have signed it. People from out of town have signed it. It's not a legal ballot initiative."

BYOB has already discussed charging for bags with Safeway's management. Bob Giesler, store manager, has said he is amenable to a bag fee, said Katzenbach, since bags are a significant expense for the chain grocery.

In addition to gathering signatures, BYOB is selling reusable ChicoBags for $5 to encourage people to use them. These bags come with a pouch that is small enough to put in a purse, in hopes of eliminating the forgetfulness factor that even the best-intentioned shopper can be prone to.

ChicoBags are made in California, and when they wear out they can be sent back to the company, which sends them to a nonprofit organization that turns them into rugs, mats and bowls, said Katzenbach.

Merchants prefer promotions

The main concern for merchants opposing a ban is the cost. Sue Arthur of Maricee Fashions said that while a plastic bag costs only nine cents, a paper bag costs 50 cents and storeowners are "having a hard enough time right now being in business."

Rain protection was another reason plastic bags are sometimes appropriate, said others.

"We've got enough plastic bags in our closets to use for the next 10 years if you need plastic bags," countered BYOB'er Libby Atkins.

But even the most scrupulous green-conscious business owners, such as Mari Friend of Sport Townsend, are wary. "I have no fears, but I still think education is the way to go," she said.

A few merchants who could not attend the meeting still wanted their opinions heard. In an email to the Main Street Program, Nicole Beck of the Tree of Life Wellness Center wrote: "I am a strong candidate for the environment. I have a degree in environmental science and operate a local business that reuses and/or recycles anything possible and purchases products made from recycled materials whenever possible. I make responsible decisions for my own business and am irritated by the idea that someone would force me to make decisions that may not be best for me and my business."

Another email from Ruth Marlow of The Candle Store echoed this sentiment. She rarely purchases new packing, wrapping and marketing supplies. Instead she uses what's already out there, and a ban would only decrease her supply, forcing her to buy new products.

In her note to the Main Street Program, she wrote: "People want to be responsible for their impact on the planet. Allow people to make conscientious decisions and they may surprise you."

Those retailers attending the meeting would rather use promotions to get the plastic point across. When Mari Mullen, executive director of Main Street, announced she is planning to offer reusable bags with the Main Street logo to help the environmental effort, one person suggested the bags be available for the annual Labor Day weekend sidewalk sale so the merchants can promote them all at the same time.

Melissa of the Bead Studio suggested a weeklong promotion that would give $1 off purchases when shoppers bring their own bags.

Another suggestion involved signage in stores that would encourage reusable bags or combining purchases in one bag, citing marine environment protection as incentive.

Worldwide examples

Other places have had great success with charging consumers for plastic bags. Katzenbach cited the example of Ireland, which taxed consumers 33 cents for plastic bags. In one month, 90 percent fewer plastics were distributed, she said.

China banned plastic bags effective June 1. Other legislation that either taxes shoppers who use them or levies fees on companies that distribute them has passed in parts of South Africa, Paris and Taiwan too.

In 2007, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban petroleum-based plastic bags in large grocery stores. In Seattle, a 20-cent bag fee is currently being discussed. If passed, shoppers would pay 20 cents for each disposable plastic or paper bag used at grocery, convenience and drugstores starting in January.

Stores would keep a nickel to cover the cost of administering the fee. Small stores that gross less than $1 million annually would keep the entire 20 cents.

Each household would receive at least one free, reusable shopping bag.

But in Port Townsend, passing on the cost of bags to the consumer makes merchants uncomfortable.

"I think we were all a little discouraged that the bottom line so clearly trumps anything else, which is completely understandable with the city's economy and with the bridge closure coming up," Katzenbach said. "But we did agree on education, and that's certainly critical."