LAS CRUCES, New Mexico – Effective January 1, 2022, an ordinance restricting single-use plastic bags in certain retail stores in Las Cruces will go into effect.
The Las Cruces City Council unanimously approved this ordinance in August.
The ordinance provides for a fine of $ 100 for the first violation by retailers following a written warning.
According to the city of Las Cruces, some types of plastic bags will be exempt from the regulation.
Bags that were still allowed included laundry bags, bags to take with you in restaurants, and bags used by nonprofit or famine relief organizations for specific purposes.
Once the regulation goes into effect, customers will have to pay 10 cents for every paper bag they take with them at the checkout.
Customers can also bring their own reusable bags made of cloth, cloth, or other durable materials.
Retailers are required to report to the city the number of paper bags they dispense and the revenue they have accumulated for each quarter.
In addition, they have to pay half of this income to the city every quarter.
The city said it will use that money to promote the regulation, educate the public, and buy reusable bags for the public to use.
After the law has been in force for two years, the ordinance will be reviewed.
According to the city of Las Cruces, single-use plastic bags are difficult to recycle and often contaminate materials that are processed by the city’s roadside recycling program
They said reusable bags are the preferred option to reduce waste and litter, protect wildlife and conserve resources, and help eliminate a source of toxins.
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