OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Paper or plastic? You might not have a choice.
Some members of Omaha City Council are talking about putting a ban on plastic bags that could take effect at the start of next year.
on how we bring them home.
You might have seen a plastic bag drifting around your neighborhood or maybe driving home from work, and that's what some members of City Council are tired of seeing.
"Since we've now taken up our waste hauling contracts at the same time, to me that's one in the same conversation," council member Pete Festersen said. "There's a better way to do this."
Seeing bags in our parks and neighborhoods has bothered Festersen for a long time. He and City Council president Ben Gray proposed that some of the city's larger grocers and other similar stores go with reusable options.
"In the metropolitan area alone, about 280 million plastic bags are used every year, so that's about 200 or 300 per person, which certainly seems to be out of control," Festersen said.
Council members propose that businesses may provide or sell reusable bags to customers. The group just introduced this Tuesday, so they'll discuss it more and hear public opinion in next week's meeting.
If it passes in the future, this will be in full force starting January 1 next year.
"All of us need to be more concerned about our environment and where things are headed in that respect globally," Festersen said. "But locally, this seems to me an easy thing we can impact."
More information can be found here on the city's website.
