A citizens task force is calling for a grassroots effort to phase out the use of plastic bags in the Wichita community. The committee delivered its report to Wichita City Council members in a workshop meeting Tuesday.
Task force member Brett Prather said the group looked at environmental, health and economic impacts from single-use plastic bags, and they also looked at steps being taken by other cities across the U.S.
Prather said 102 billion plastic bags are thrown away in the U.S. every year and only one to three percent are recycled. He said Wichita has had more than 462.8 million plastic bags in use over the past few years. He said the task force is recommending an educational campaign to create awareness in the community and get schools, churches, and local businesses involved. Dillons corporate affairs manager Sheila Regehr told the City Council that the grocery chain is already working to phase out plastic bags by 2025.
Prather said it would be about an 18-month process to develop a grassroots committee to work on community education and develop a program for a transition to reusable cloth bags.
The task force report leaves open the possibility of a local ban on plastic bags. City Council member Brandon Johnson said he hopes the discussion continues and at some point there should be some action taken. He suggested the Council could pass an ordinance that would allow a few years for a phase-out of plastic bag use, allowing time for education programs and for private sector businesses to get involved. City Manager Robert Layton said the Council could send the task force report to the city’s Sustainability Integration Board for study and recommendations.
