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Dubuque City Council votes to consider plastic bag ban

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February 7th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — The Dubuque City Council is moving ahead with having staff draft an ordinance that would ban retailers from using plastic shopping bags. The Telegraph Herald reports that council members voted 4-3 in favor of the plan Monday night. Council members Luis Del Toro and David Resnick argued the city would be better served by a less heavy-handed approach and recommended finding ways to encourage retailers and residents to voluntarily lessen plastic bag use.

A memo from Cori Burbach, the city’s sustainable community coordinator, says charging shoppers more in an effort to curb the use of plastic checkout bags would require a substantial amount of work. City Attorney Crenna Brumwell says the city could be exposed to litigation if a fee were implemented improperly.