What’s Next for Laredo’s Ban on Plastic Bag Bans?

And what’s next for the bag bans in the rest of the state?

By Michael MarksAugust 26, 2016 12:41 pm

Laredo goes through 120 million plastic bags a year. The city tried to lower that number by banning those ubiquitous, single-use plastic bags. But earlier this week, a state appeals court said no.

The court rules that the ban violated the state’s health code governing solid waste management. The ruling could have a broader impact, beyond Laredo. Steve Clark, with the Brownsville Herald, says it could set a precedent to ban the bag bans statewide.

The judge ruled that in the state health code there’s a law that no community can pass any regulation restricting or banning a container for the purposes of solid waste management.

“[Opponents to the bill] were able to successfully able to argue that that’s what Laredo was doing and the judge bought that argument,” Clark says.

What you’ll hear in this segment:

– How Laredo’s bag ban is different from other bag bans across the state

– Why the bag ban was important to Laredo

– Who’s behind the challenge to the bag ban