Dive Brief:

• San Antonio, TX is launching a curbside collection program that accepts plastic bags. 
• The city says households should form basketball-sized bags, tied together and deposited into recycling bins with other recyclables. Single bags will still create a problem for the sorting machines.
• The program begins August 1, the same date ReCommunity Recycling's contract with the city gets underway.

Dive Insight:

Communities around the country are considering bans as a way to divert the bags from landfills. Arcata, CA passed a ban in 2013, while Chicago approved a bag ban at the retail level on April 30.

The resistance usually comes in the form of bag manufacturers or an outcry from the community about those with lower incomes being unable to afford the added expense of purchasing reusable bags or paying a fee to purchase plastic bags on-site. A study conducted by NCPA found that bans hurt retailers, both in revenue and employment.