According to the report, the weight of plastic bags and film collected dropped from 1,033,698 lbs to 753,740.4 lbs, while businesses participating in the program dropped from 1,043 to 725. Meanwhile, the average cost to stores INCREASED from $122.26 to $164.52 during the latest reporting period. Click Here to read the full report.
As the Chicago City Council considers a Reusable Bag Ordinance to help curb plastic pollution these are important numbers to consider. The plastics industry likes to tout that plastic bags are '100% Recyclable' while failing to mention that reports point to recycling rates in the single digits. We can't recycle our way out of plastic bag litter, the time has come for reusable bags and meaningful checkout bag reductions to tackle the problem.
Sign the Bring Your Bag Chicago Petition and visit the BYB Chicago Facebook page.