The Sustainable Janesville Committee has plenty of ideas to reduce the use of plastic shopping bags.
Committee Chairman Tom McDonald says his colleagues on the City Council have informally discussed the matter. He says the council cares about the environment and wants to help clean up Janesville. He says there are other, better options to plastic bags.
One of the options favored by committee member David Peterson is a requirement that stores switch to paper bags. He says that will cost less time and money for the city. The committee's city staff liaison, Al Hulick, cautions the committee to keep cost and legality of a plastic bag ban in mind. He says banning plastic bags and putting signs in parking lots are great ideas, but the committee should keep the law in mind before reaching a decision.
City staff members will research different options, including limiting the type of plastic used so the bags are recyclable, starting a public education campaign about reusable bags and phasing out plastic bags with an eventual ban.
The committee will hear a report on the research in December.
