Evanston, Illinois plastic bag ban ordinance takes effect at stores Tuesday, with tax applied on other types of bags

EVANSTON, Ill. (WLS) -- Starting Tuesday, plastic bags will be banned at businesses in Evanston.

The ban includes plastic pre-checkout(produce) bags.

There will also be a 10-cent tax on all bag types at large, non-restaurant, chain retail stores exceeding 10,000 square feet in that city. Consumers can avoid the tax by bringing their own bag or declining a store bag.

Going forward, 40-percent of all paper bags have to be made of recycled material. Pre-checkout (produce) bags can be made of compostable plastic or 40 percent recycled paper.

The city says the tax does not apply to:

-Bags provided by a pharmacist that contain prescription drugs

-Newspaper bags

- Bags provided by restaurants for prepared carryout or leftover food or drinks

- Bags that are used to carry items purchased pursuant to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Illinois LINK card, or a similar governmental food assistance program

The effort is part of the city's Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP), which aims to eliminate petroleum-based, single-use products.

For more information, visit cityofevanston.org/plasticbagban or call 847-448-4311.