Plastic Bag Ban On the Way (for Real This Time)?

The Austin American-Statesman reports that Mayor Leffingwell and two city councilmembers are set to propose a ban on grocery/retail store plastic bags today. A resolution to be voted on August 4th will have city staff come up with a timetable for the gradual implementation of the ban.

The voluntary program that was supposed to cut down on plastic bag waste just isn't doing enough. This program -- enacted by the larger retailers in town in 2008 as a reaction to a proposed ban at the time -- has only reduced plastic bag waste by 20 percent, according to Leffingwell.

The Solid Waste Department reported in January that the hundreds of millions of bags used by Austinites cost the city $850,000 in litter cleanup and landfill use. This amount doesn't include the costs of environmental damage caused by the bags.

Dozens of American cities have already banned plastic bag use, with Portland, OR being the most recent to do so.