Chicago Council Adopts Plastic Bag Ban
On April 30, 2014,
the Chicago City Council approved an ordinance banning the use of plastic
bags to carry goods away from certain types of stores. The ban
applies to retail establishments in the City “that sell perishable or non-perishable goods,
including, but not limited to, clothing, food and personal items, directly to
the customer.” The ban does not apply to restaurants and non-chain store
organizations. Franchises and organizations of three or more stores are
considered chain stores.
The
ordinance also requires that all covered stores that provide bags also sell or give
customers reusable bags, recyclable paper bags, or commercially compostable
plastic bags. Stores larger than 10,000 square feet have to comply with the
ban by August 1, 2015. Smaller stores have one year longer to comply with the
requirements. Retailers could be fined $300 to $500 for each violation of the
ban.
The
store exemptions and staggered deadlines were presented in a meeting of the
Committee on Health and Environmental Protection as a compromise for opponents
of a plastic bag ban. The ordinance passed the City Council with a vote of
36-10. However, some aldermen and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association
expressed concerns with the potential impact increased costs associated with paper
bags may have on the ability to attract grocery stores, maintain jobs, and
prevent price increases.
You
can read the ordinance here.
Post Authored by Julie Tappendorf and Caitlyn Sharrow, Ancel Glink
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