Evanston Passes Plastic Bag Ban

Evanston’s City Council voted Monday to ban disposable plastic shopping bags at the city’s chain and franchise stores, which is the result of an environmental campaign that started three years ago.

The ordinance was passed 5-4. It will impact 27 stores that are over 10,000 square feet in Evanston, effective Aug. 1, 2015, according to the city. A list of those stores can be found here.

According to a press release from the city: “In approving the ordinance, City Council members emphasized the importance of education and outreach in increasing the usage and availability of reusable shopping bags in Evanston, and promoting responsible waste reduction and recycling efforts. The City will work closely with impacted stores to facilitate the implementation of the ordinance, as well as conduct a citywide education and outreach campaign to assist the larger community in the transition.

The ordinance does not prohibit customers from using bags of any type brought to the store for their own use. Additionally, point-of-sale paper bags as well as plastic bags used to package products in-store, such as produce, meat and other grocery items, are not affected.”