The City of Lawrence ordinance banning single-use plastic bags goes into effect Friday, March 1. Here’s what you should know.  Lawrence city commissioners in August 2023 approved an ordinance banning single-use plastic bags citywide. The ban, initially prompted by a class of environmentally conscious fourth graders who are now high school sophomores, was under discussion for years before commissioners approved Ordinance 9996. The ordinance aims to reduce the use of plastics in the city, which in turn could help reduce the city’s dependence on fossil fuels and prevent some pollution from the bags, contamination through microplastics from bags degrading, and animal deaths from eating the bags, among other concerns. City staff members have also said the bags are difficult to recycle and that they contaminate the materials that the city can process, recycle and compost. The city estimates that Lawrence residents use and discard more than 29 million single-use plastic bags per year. The ordinance bans establishments from giving customers plastic bags that are less than 4 mils in thickness — that’s about as thick as a piece of paper. The ban also applies to paper bags that do not contain at least 40% post-consumer recycled content. Reusable bags (or totes) made of cloth are OK. So are reusable plastic bags that are at least 4 mils in thickness, contain at least 40% post-consumer recycled material and are labeled with the post-consumer recycled content percentage, the mil thickness, and the word “reusable” on the bag. The ordinance also includes a number of exemptions for product-specific bags. That means things such as produce bags and bags to prevent cross-contamination of groceries; garment bags, such as those used for dry cleaning; bags to bring home your new pet fish and more are still OK.
Source: The Lawrence Times