Dive Brief:

• On April 30, city alderman voted to ban plastic bags in Chicago. The outcome was 36-10 in favor of eliminating the use of plastic bags at a retail level.
• The ban will affect chain stores and franchises, according to Plastic News. Retailers have a few options to comply: They must "provide or sell reusable bags, recyclable paper bags or compostable plastic bags." Stores can change customers for bags.
• The ban will begin in August of 2015 for large stores, and August 2016 for shops measuring 10,000 square feet or less.

Dive Insight:

According to Plastic News, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is in support of the ban, and embraced it fully after small mom and pop shops were not required to participate. Many cities, large and small, have considered requiring bag bans for area stores. An alderman in Chicago said bags are a "relic of yesterday's economy," although the American Progressive Bag Alliance (APBA) doesn't agree. The APBA was pushing for expanded recycling instead of the ban, which the organization says employs 30,800 workers nationwide. A study conducted by the National Center for Policy Analysis found that plastic bag bans negatively impact stores by lowering revenue and employment.