Monday, Jan. 1 - Plastic Bag Ordinance goes into effect

Beginning Jan. 1, shoppers in Oak Park’s larger retail stores will be charged 10 cents for every single-use bag the store provides to carry home purchases. The new local law, which applies to retail stores of 5,000 or more square feet, is intended to reduce the negative impact single-use bags have the environment.

The fee applies to paper as well as plastic, officials say, because paper bags consume enormous amounts of natural resources to manufacture and transport, and create their own type of environmental issues when not disposed of properly.

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