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Detroit council backs resolution calling on state to repeal PA 389 to allow local plastic‑bag rules
Summary
After extensive public comment from environmental and recycling advocates, Detroit City Council approved a resolution urging repeal of Michigan Public Act 389 so the city can pursue local restrictions on single‑use plastics and bags.
Detroit City Council voted Oct. 7 to approve a resolution urging the state Legislature to repeal Michigan Public Act 389, a statute advocates say preempts local ordinances that would restrict single‑use plastics such as shopping bags.
Council member Scott Benson introduced the resolution (line item 20.41) and framed it as an action to restore local control over products that damage recycling systems and public health. "This speaks to nano plastics effectively flowing through the veins of every human being on the planet," Benson said while describing scientific and public‑health concerns raised by the council’s Green Task Force and environmental partners.
Public comment before the vote included testimony from members of Detroit’s Green Task Force and several nonprofit environmental groups. KT Morelli, an organizer with Breathe Free Detroit and co‑chair of the council’s Green Task Force state and local policy subcommittee, asked the council to support repeal so local jurisdictions can enact ordinances to protect residents’ health and advance a circular economy.
Opponents were not dominant in the public record at the meeting; council members discussing the motion indicated the item had broad internal support. Member Angela Whitfield Callaway asked to join as co‑sponsor and other members likewise added their names. With no objections, the council approved the resolution and directed that a waiver be attached to expedite its handling.
What the resolution does and does not do: the council’s vote asks the state Legislature to repeal the preemption in PA 389 and thereby allow Detroit to draft local restrictions; it does not itself impose any ban or ordinance on plastic bags or containers. The resolution sends a policy signal and aims to restart local policy options that advocates say are needed to reduce plastic pollution and equipment damage at municipal recycling facilities.
Council members said the next steps are outreach with city departments and potential drafting of local ordinances if the state act is repealed; no city ordinance was adopted at the Oct. 7 meeting.
