As you may recall, City Council adopted an ordinance in December of 2018 to encourage the use of reusable bags and limit the use of checkout plastic bags. It was set to go into effect in July with enforcement beginning Jan. 1, 2020.
Earlier this month, the Oregon state legislature also passed a bill banning single-use plastic checkout bags statewide that takes effect Jan. 1, 2020. The bill is largely similar to the City’s ordinance and also includes plastic restaurant take-out bags and the fee for bags provided to customers is at least five cents (compared to the City’s 10 cent minimum).
In July, Councilors will vote to repeal the City law to comply with the State law. Informational materials and enforcement will become projects of the state government. The City is still supportive of limiting single-use bags and encourages you to “Bring your bag, Bend!”