An effort, possibly in the form of a petition drive, is in the works that could force a binding vote on a fee – or even an outright ban – on single-use plastic and paper shopping bags in Freeport.

The Recycling/Solid Waste Committee scheduled a joint workshop Monday night with Midcoast Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) of Brunswick/Topsham, at the Freeport Community Center. Josh Olins, chairman of the Freeport committee, said prior to the meeting that a five-person “citizen group,” which was to volunteer Monday night, will aim to collect signatures for a binding referendum on the bags. This approach differs from the non-binding referendum on a proposed 5-cent-per-bag fee that the Town Council adopted on Oct. 20. The Recycling/Ordinance Committee had urged the council to vote on the matter itself, rather than go to a public vote.

The advisory referendum will take place in either June or November, and the full council then would vote on the 5-cent fee. But Olins and others in town want a fee or ban on the use of single-use bags to happen sooner.

“A citizen group is hoping to propose a binding referendum,” Olins said. “The hope is that it would take less time. Every day you wait, more plastic bags get used, discarded and lost. Why wait?”

Those opposed to a nonbinding vote, particularly in November, are concerned that it would give the plastic bags industry plenty of time to lobby against the measure.

Olins, who will not be a member of the citizen group, said the hope is for five people to collaborate on a proposal for a binding vote, and then begin collecting signatures in a petition drive. Information gained from Midcoast BYOB would be helpful in that regard, he said.

“I met with the Brunswick/Topsham group during a conference in Brunswick,” Olins said, “They had similar problems in getting it through their Town Council. They have a great structure, and we thought it would be good to hear from them. We were looking for suggestions on how to move forward. This is just kind of a sharing of minds.”

Marcia Harrington, co-founder of Midcoast BYOB, told the Tri-Town Weekly that the two communities could learn from each other’s experiences. Shortly after the Freeport council vote, the Brunswick Town Council sent a proposal for a 5-cent fee on disposable shopping bags and a ban on foam food containers back to the town’s Recycling and Sustainability Committee. Freeport already has a ban on foam food containers.

“Our group has done a lot of grassroots organizing and outreach,” Harrington said. “The Freeport group has done some amazing research and written some very thoughtful reports.”

Mary Howe, deputy town clerk in Freeport, said last week that any five “qualified voters” can seek written requests from the Town Council for petition blanks, according to the town charter. The five people are referred to in the charter as the “requesting committee,” Howe said. The requesting committee would have 30 days from the acceptance date to come up with the required signatures of 10 percent of the town’s registered voters. Howe said that as of last week, there were 6,459 registered voters in Freeport, meaning that the requesting committee would need 646 signatures.

The Town Council voted 4-2 on Oct. 20 to send a 5-cent fee on single-use plastic and paper bags to an advisory public vote, rather than decide on its own. The Ordinance Committee had recommended such an action – a decision that Olins, Councilor Bill Rixon, environmentalist Sukie Rice and others ardently opposed during the meeting.

Councilor Sarah Tracy, chairwoman of the Ordinance Committee, argued for the majority. Tracy said the action would impose a fee on residents, and that the matter is outside of normal Town Council function.

“It’s worth giving people the opportunity to weigh in, in the privacy of the voting booth,” she said.

Rice, leader of the Freeport Climate Action team, said that the citizens group – or requesting committee – could call for a fee on single-use bags or an outright ban.

“We’re trying to get clarity on what to do and how to do it,” said Rice, who said she would be unable to attend Monday’s workshop with Midcoast BYOB. “There are a couple of different ways to proceed, but things are brewing. The Town Council could vote on the matter itself, rather than going to a referendum. If they don’t, it goes to the polls for a binding vote. That would make it binding instead of nonbinding.”

The Freeport Ordinance Committee was scheduled to discusss the bags issue during its organizational meeting Tuesday night. In addition to Tracy, other members of the panel, which is a Town Council subcommittee, are Chairwoman Melanie Sachs and Bill Rixon. They replace Andy Wellen and Scott Gleeson.