Dallas Council Approves Partial Plastic Bag Ban
Update 11:35 a.m. DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas City Council passes a "partial ban" on plastic bags, as proposed by council member Dwayne Caraway. The partial ban includes a five-cent fee per bag and will go into effect on January 1, 2015. The final vote for approval was 8-6.
Council members changed the proposed ordinance that would have included a 10-cent per bag fee or a $1 transaction fee, after they went into executive session for about 45 minutes Wednesday morning. Council then debated the issue for nearly two hours before the final vote.
The new ordinance will also require retailers to register and charge customers for bags separately from their purchased items. Retailers will be allowed to keep 10% of the income generated, the other 90% will go to the city.
In order to get residents up to speed on the new ordinance, the City of Dallas will immediately start an intensive educational awareness campaign, starting with retailers.
Do you agree with the partial ban? Take our poll to let us know!
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The debate over plastic bags could see a historic vote on Wednesday. Dallas City Council members are expected to decide whether or not to implement a plastic bag ban, ending a yearlong battle. City councilman Dwayne Caraway has said that he has enough support to pass a partial ban.
Caraway said that the plastic carryout bags are an environmental nuisance and an eyesore, and he would prefer to see an all-out ban on the bags. But this debate has waged on for more than a year, and Caraway believes that he has secured enough votes to pass a fee-based ban.
The city council is expected to vote on that partial ban on Wednesday. The ordinance would require that retailers charge either 10 cents per bag or $1 per transaction.
Retail associations do not agree with the proposed plan, saying that the bags convenient for their shoppers. Opponents of the plastic bag ban are calling for an environmental litter study to really look at the actual impact of plastic bags. And, adding to the issue, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has been asked to weigh in on the legality of such a ban.
The Dallas City Council still has other options, including a complete plastic bag ban. But, for now, Caraway said that he will continue pushing for the partial ban.
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