The Eugene City Council approved an ordinance banning single-use plastic bags. The vote Monday night also imposes a 5-cent minimum fee for paper bags at the check-out. KLCC’s Jes Burns reports.
The new law is intended to encourage the use of reusable bags at grocery and other retail establishments in Eugene. Councilors, with a tie breaking vote from Mayor Kitty Piercy, voted down an amendment that would have made the fee on paper bags optional. Councilor Alan Zalenka argued the change would not have created the same outcome.