S
  1. Home
  2. Eco News
  3. Environmental
  4. Plastic Bag Bans
  5. What’s in the News Wednesday – The Latest on Bag Bans in the United States

What’s in the News Wednesday – The Latest on Bag Bans in the United States

Latest News on Bag Bans

So many cities, counties, and even countries have implemented bans on single-use plastic bags. To help track this movement, we’ve put together an interactive map that highlights areas with bag bans, places where officials attempted to pass a ban with no luck, and cities that have laws levying a fee on disposable shopping bags. If you haven’t had a chance – check it out! Here are some new locations that recently popped up on our map.

Recent Additions to Our Bag Ban Map

  1. Tuckahoe, New York – This village in Westchester County recently passed a ban that prohibits the distribution of single-use carrier bags. Retailers are still allowed to hand out paper bags, although there is a strong emphasis on shoppers bringing their own reusable grocery bags.
  2. Richmond, California – Starting January 1, 2014, disposable plastic bags will be banned in grocery and retail stores in Richmond. The law also levies a 5-cent fee on paper bags, increasing to 10 cents per bag after two years.
  3. Napa City, California – Officials in Napa passed an initiative to become more sustainable, and this led to the City Council unanimously passing a law to ban disposable plastic bags. The law also imposes a fee on paper bags. Way to go, Napa!
  4. Makati, Philippines – The City of Makati issued a ban on single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam food and beverage containers on June 20, 2013. Severe litter resulting in compromised drainage systems prompted officials to implement the ban.
  5. Odessa, Texas – A ban on disposable single-use plastic bags failed to pass by a one-vote margin in Odessa. Everyone on the City Council agreed that disposable plastic bags are an environmental problem, but most of the council members did not feel a ban was the answer.

Cities We Hope to Add to Our Map Soon

There are a lot of cities and towns contemplating banning disposable plastic bags or levying fees on these bags. Dallas Councilman Dwaine Caraway suggested the City ban disposable plastic shopping bags several months back, and there has been a very active discussion on this topic ever since.

In Baltimore, Councilman Brandon M. Scott proposed a fee for every single-use plastic bag handed out at the checkout. Officials have been listening to arguments from groups for and against the fee. Officials in Dallas and Baltimore still have to vote on the proposals. We’re hoping they’ll vote in favor of helping the environment and limiting the use of disposable plastic bags.

Is your town not on the map? If so, we would love to add it! Leave a comment to let us know, and we will get to work.

Reference

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *