City officials approve 2013 bag ban

"This is a huge step to clean up our communities across the planet," Scheider said.

Council members made some modifications to the proposal before passage, including the elimination of a transaction fee for disposable bags as well as doing away with a one-year transitional period.

Members also added an education campaign on the new ban that is estimated to cost between $1.5 million and $2 million, according to Austin Resource Recovery Director Bob Gedert.

There are a few exceptions to the ban, such as plastic bags used at dry cleaners, paper bags used in restaurants and disposable bags provided by local food banks.

This is not the first time the city officials have taken steps to reduce single-use bags. In 2007, City Council ordered an evaluation on strategies for limiting the use of non-compostable plastic bags and promoting reusable ones.

In 2008, a voluntary initiative was instituted to cut the number of plastic bags that flowed into the waste stream by 50 percent, but the effort fell short.

"As we have seen over that four years, you kind of go back to old habits," Councilman Mike Martinez stated last summer as ban efforts were revitalized. "We believe now it is time to move forward."

According to Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Austin residents use about 263 million plastic bags every year, forcing the city to pay more than $800,000 per year in pollution and litter management costs.

"Single-use bags are both harmful to our environment and to our economy," Leffingwell said. "The bags litter our rivers and streams. They are harmful to our wildlife—and because most of them aren't biodegradable—they are around forever."

Several members of the public weighed in at stakeholder meetings and public hearings between August 2011 and March 1 when a vote was taken, including many opponents.

Ronnie Volkening of the Texas Retailers Association expressed concern about a lack of emphasis on recycling. A complete ban sends the message that "no collaborative action can be taken to divert these bags from landfills," he stated.

Mark Daniels of Hilex Poly, a national manufacturer and recycler of plastic bags, pointed to effects on low-income families.

"I believe most families would agree that they would much rather purchase their food than bags to take them home in," he said.

Supporters were also vocal, including Kimberly Flores, who said her grandfather was one of the engineers who developed plastic bags in the 1970s at a time when an effort was being made to reduce the number of trees cut for paper bags.

"Four generations later, my son is saying that it is really sad to see a plastic bag around a baby turtle's neck," Flores said.

"I have an inherited responsibility," she added. "What my grandfather created, I would love to go full-circle and put an end to it."

Councilman Chris Riley said cities such as San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Portland, Ore.; and Brownsville have all enacted plastic bag bans that were not as controversial as people might think.

"Habits are changing, and families are adapting all across the country," Riley said.