City of Austin wants to know what you think about single-use plastic shopping bags

AUSTIN, Texas — While the city's "bag ban" is no more, Austin Resource Recovery still wants to know what you think about single-use plastic bags.

The agency is conducting an online survey of Austin residents from now until March 8th regarding the use of bags at retailers and restaurants.

The survey asks question regarding what you think the environmental impact of plastic bags are, if retailers you shop at provide them, as well as how frequently you use reusable bags for shopping.

Due to a Texas Supreme Court ruling overturning a similar bag ban in Laredo, Austin stopped enforcing its ban last July.

However, the city and ARR are hoping to encourage retailers and shoppers to honor the spirit of the ordinance and continue to voluntarily use reusable bags.

"Since we can't enforce it that's kind of what we're using information gathered from this survey to see what kind of communications we can have or strategy we can take to approaching retailers," Austin Resource Recovery spokesperson Memi Cardenas said.

Cardenas said the city's goal is to become a zero waste city. That means they want to reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills by 90 percent by 2040.

Some shoppers Friday said they support the ban and still bring reusable bags.

"I think taking away the bag ban is ludicrous because it was a tiny little wonderful thing that people learned to live with," Susan Elizabeth Lippe said.

One shopper said he doesn't mind paying 25 cents for each reusable plastic bag at HEB.

"Round Rock offers free bags, the HEB up there, but it's little to nothing on the cost, 25 cents. So usually if I forget them I just ask for extra and they just add it to the tab," shopper Kristen Leverett said.

To take the survey, click here.