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Plastic Bag Ban Takes Effect on August 1 in Chicago and Evanston

Chicago’s plastic bag ban will take effect on August 1 at stores subject to Article XXIII. Retail Bag Use, as approved in April by the city council, with a floor area which exceeds 10,000 square feet. Targeted are chains stores that sell perishable and non-perishable goods, but the ban does not apply to restaurants or stores that are not part of a chain.

As a result, large Evanston retailers also will no longer give out plastic shopping bags made of plastic less than 2.25 millimeters thick and that are not certified as compostable, to customers. The 27 stores affected include Jewel-Osco, Walgreens, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, CVS, Aldi and Target. Focusing on bigger retailers that have a major impact, the change will not affect local mom-and-pop stores. Under the ordinance, customers may bring their own bags of any type.

Evanston has started a Think Outside the Bag campaign that includes bag shares where residents can drop off extra reusable bags and others can pick them up, and reusable bag giveaways at locations throughout the summer, including at the Main Evanston Public Library, North Branch Library, Noyes Cultural Arts Center and the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center.

 

For more information, visit Tinyurl.com/ThinkOutsideBag.