On April 30, 2014 the aldermen of Chicago’s City Council approved the ban of single-use plastic bags with a vote of 36-10. For chain and franchise stores the ban will come into force in August 2015; small shops will be subject to the ban by August 2016 (FPF reported). In an opinion piece published on April 30, 2014 by the news provider Chigaco Tribune, the Alderman Proco Moreno, initiator of the bill, argues that the bill is a ‘noble compromise’ though not including paper bags. Gayle Putrich writes on the same day in an article published by industry news provider Plastics News that the legislation is unlikely to reduce litter and cleanup costs and points out that paper bags have a higher carbon foot print than their plastic counterparts. Putrich states that a fee for single-use bags might have been more effective in encouraging a behavioral change in consumers.
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Gayle Putrich (April 30, 2014). “Chicago approves plastic bag ban.” Plastics News
Proco Moreno (April 30, 2014). “Plastic bags should be outlawed in Chicago.” Chicago Tribune
