Politics & Government

City Council Meeting Update: Environment Board Presents Bag Reduction Ideas

A notice from the city of Evanston.

At the October 24th City Council meeting the Evanston Environment Board presented its recommendations for a bag reduction ordinance for the city. The board gave their independent review of information they had received and offered strategies to reduce the environmental impact of bags in Evanston. They presented their preliminary recommendations and received feedback from the council. No formal ordinance was developed.


The Environment Board presented a fee based plan which would instill a five cent fee on paper and plastic bags. According to their plan, part of the money would be kept by the business and part of the money would be retained by the city to fund environment education. The Board also recommended a 6-month period before the plan would be enacted to allow for outreach to the business community.


There were mixed reviews from the council and residents. Some were in favor of the plan and others were concerned that a five cent fee was not the right direction to take. It was also stated that an incentive based program should be created and not a penalty based one.

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The Environment Board will take into account concerns and comments they received at the city council meeting and work them into a new plan. No formal timeline was set for this project.


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