Salem City Council expected to ban carryout plastic bags

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - The Salem City Council on Monday night is expected to ban plastic carryout bags throughout the city.

The Statesman Journal reports if passed, the new rules would go into effect in 2019.

Under the proposal, shoppers would bring reusable bags to the store or pay a small fee for recyclable paper bags.

Customers could still use plastic bags for items such as meats, vegetables, fruit and pharmacy prescriptions.

The rules would go into effect for large businesses such as Costco on April 1 while small businesses would have until Sept. 1 to implement the measure.

Salem would join cities such as Corvallis, McMinnville and Portland, which have instituted similar bans in recent years.

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Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.com