Chicago Reconsidering Plastic Bag Ban

New proposal drops an exemption for small retailers.

March 11, 2014

CHICAGO – A previously failed bill to ban retailers in Chicago from using plastic bags might be heading for a new vote, Supermarket News reports.

Alderman Joe Morena, co-sponsor of the bill, said last week that he believes he has the votes necessary to win full city council approval of an ordinance that would prohibit retailers with more than 5,000 square feet of floor space from distributing plastic bags to customers.

The bill drops an exemption for small retailers that was part of the earlier bill.

“We were letting smaller stores off the hook,” Moreno said, who is co-sponsoring the bill with Alderman George Cardenas. “But some alderman were concerned. They said, ‘All I have is small stores in my ward. If you don’t cover them, my ward is still gonna look like crap with bags all over the place.’”

Cardenas said he was worried about the negative economic impact of banning plastic bags, but he has been reassured by officials in other areas with bans in place that the impact was “doable.”

In response to the news, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association said the ban is tantamount to levying a “tax on retailers” because paper bags are three times more expensive than plastic. Additionally, it said banning the less expensive bags would dampen efforts by Mayor Emanuel to fill the city’s food deserts.

Mayor Emanuel opposed an earlier version of the plastic bag ban, which exempted small retailers.

The ordinance allows small retailers up to three years to comply with the ban.

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