Wichita could ban or tax plastic bags

Wichita is exploring a citywide ban on plastic bags.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday for a new task force to consider how to reduce or eliminate single-use plastic bags in the city.

Members of the task force have said they’re interested in an outright ban or city-wide tax to curb the use of the thin bags. Although they’re convenient and reusable, often ending up as trash bags or cage lining, they’re difficult to recycle and take hundreds of years to biodegrade. They ultimately end up at the landfill or in the river, sometimes harming animals, proponents of a ban say.