Brownsville Texas' plastic bag ban and $1 fee on non-reusable bags goes into effect in January! (text now available)

Brownsville Texas' plastic bag ban and $1 fee on non-reusable bags goes into effect on January 5, 2011.

Under Brownville's ordinance, only the following types of bags "specifically designed and manufactured for multiple reuse" will be available at checkout for free:

• bags made of cloth or other washable fabric
• 65# paper bags (with handles)
• plastic bags as long as they are 4.0 mil thick

All other plastic bags and less durable paper will incur a $1 environmental fee per transaction.

One dollar per bag is much higher than the 5 or 10 cents that most American municipalities have proposed, so everyone will be watching to see what happens in Texas!

A FAQ sheet is available here.

Full text of the ordinance available here.