Chicago suburb moves closer to total ban on single-use plastic bags

The Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, Illinois, has voted to ban single-use plastic bags in stores that are at least 7,500 square feet, according to Environment Illinois. 

Journal & Topics reported that the Park Ridge Procedures & Regulations Committee of the Whole members voted unanimously to approve the ban, which had been in discussion since last summer, prior to its passing the city council vote. 

The ban will require that all bags provided at checkout be recyclable paper bags. It will still allow presale bags — the smaller plastic bags used for produce — but they must be compostable. 

The ban is set to take effect Jan. 1, and the city estimates it will affect nine stores that meet the size requirement. Stores that don't comply with the ban would be fined $100 per violation.

The nine-month transition period before it begins is partly intended to ease the burden on affected businesses and address concerns that stores will be stuck with extra plastic bags. 

Plastic bag bans are a crucial step toward reducing plastic waste and safeguarding human health by preventing harmful pollution in waterways and the wider environment. Plastic bags not only contribute to the pollution that is warming the planet, but also harm wildlife on land and in water. 

A 2024 report released by the Environment America Research & Policy Center revealed just how effective these bans are. 

The report focused on plastic bag bans in New Jersey, Vermont, Philadelphia, as well as Portland, Oregon, and Santa Barbara, California, which have collectively cut single-use plastic bag consumption by about 6 billion bags annually. 

Analysis of these bans and similar actions also found that fees on single-use bags were more effective than all-out bans on the bags. 

Regarding the Park Ridge ban, alderperson John Moran called it "a step in the right direction," per Journal & Topics, though he said he wanted the city to keep an eye on potential unintended consequences.

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