Chamber Establishes Third Reusable Bag Distribution Site
OPRF Chamber of Commerce
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Dec 29, 2017 12:00 AM
OAK PARK, ILLINOIS - The Oak Park - River Forest Chamber of Commerce is working with the Village of Oak Park to set up a third site for distributing reusable shopping bags for residents preparing to comply withe the Single Use Bag Ordinance that will take effect on January 1, 2018.
Under terms of the ordinance, retail establishments with 5,000 or more square feet will begin charging consumers ten cents per bag for each single use paper or plastic bag used to carry goods out of the store. The ten cent fee will be split with five cents going to the merchant to offset costs of administering the program and five cents going to the Village of Oak Park to fund future sustainability efforts.
Although the ordinance is widely supported throughout the community, there is concern that not all residents have access to reusable bags or can absorb the fee. Therefore, the Village of Oak Park has been providing reusable bags free of charge at Village Hall on Madison as well as at the Public Works Building at South Blvd and Lombard. Working with Village of Oak Park Sustainability Manager Mindy Agnew, the Chamber of Commerce has agreed to set up a third location at its offices at 143 S. Oak Park Avenue. Any resident interested in receiving a bag is encouraged to stop by any of the three locations during business hours of 9am - 5pm. One bag per household, please.
The bags are available while supplies last. Both the Village and the Chamber have contributed bags for giveaway, as have local businesses and organizations. Any business interested in donating their extra reusable bags is welcome to drop them off at the Chamber. Bags can be any size appropriate for shopping. Bags with business or event logos are acceptable as long as there is no offensive imagery or language printed on the bag.
"This is a terrific opportunity to make good use of extra reusable bags a business might have left over from a past promotion or event," said Cathy Yen, Executive Director of the OPRF Chamber. "What better way to get one's business logo out into the community than to give it to someone who intends to take it shopping?" The Chamber can accept bags of various material as long as the bag can be reasonably used multiple times.
For more information about the Single Use Bag Ordinance, visit the program's website
www.oak-park.us/bringyourbag/
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Under terms of the ordinance, retail establishments with 5,000 or more square feet will begin charging consumers ten cents per bag for each single use paper or plastic bag used to carry goods out of the store. The ten cent fee will be split with five cents going to the merchant to offset costs of administering the program and five cents going to the Village of Oak Park to fund future sustainability efforts.
Although the ordinance is widely supported throughout the community, there is concern that not all residents have access to reusable bags or can absorb the fee. Therefore, the Village of Oak Park has been providing reusable bags free of charge at Village Hall on Madison as well as at the Public Works Building at South Blvd and Lombard. Working with Village of Oak Park Sustainability Manager Mindy Agnew, the Chamber of Commerce has agreed to set up a third location at its offices at 143 S. Oak Park Avenue. Any resident interested in receiving a bag is encouraged to stop by any of the three locations during business hours of 9am - 5pm. One bag per household, please.
The bags are available while supplies last. Both the Village and the Chamber have contributed bags for giveaway, as have local businesses and organizations. Any business interested in donating their extra reusable bags is welcome to drop them off at the Chamber. Bags can be any size appropriate for shopping. Bags with business or event logos are acceptable as long as there is no offensive imagery or language printed on the bag.
"This is a terrific opportunity to make good use of extra reusable bags a business might have left over from a past promotion or event," said Cathy Yen, Executive Director of the OPRF Chamber. "What better way to get one's business logo out into the community than to give it to someone who intends to take it shopping?" The Chamber can accept bags of various material as long as the bag can be reasonably used multiple times.
For more information about the Single Use Bag Ordinance, visit the program's website
www.oak-park.us/bringyourbag/
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