LAWRENCE — The Lawrence City Commission is poised this week to further discuss a potential ban on single-use plastic bags.
As part of its meeting Tuesday, commissioners will receive an update on the single-use plastic bag draft ordinance and provide direction to city staff regarding potential next steps, the Lawrence Journal World reported.
The city estimates it will cost about $31,000 annually to enforce the ban, and that the city would need to hire a full-time code compliance officer as part of its upcoming 2024 budget, the newspaper reported.
Lawrence residents use and discard between 29 million and 36 million singe-use disposable plastic bags annually, the city estimated.
Enforcement would be targeted toward businesses and establishments, the newspaper noted. A draft ordinance spells out the enforcement process, beginning with a warning, then escalating fines of $100, $200 and $500 for repeated violations within a calendar year, the Journal World reported.
After the state legislation failed to move forward in 2020 (subsequent attempts were also made in 2022 and 2023), the commission asked the board to restart the discussion in May 2021. The board then took up the issue again and moved away from the idea of a fee. The board voted in June 2022 to recommend an ordinance that would ban single-use plastic bags provided by grocery stores and other businesses.
