City of Pittsburgh Announces Delay in Plastic Bag Ban Implementation
The enforcement date moves from April 14 to October 14
PITTSBURGH – Today the City of Pittsburgh announced a delay in the enforcement of the single-use plastic bag ban to October 14, 2023, in order to help ensure a successful rollout of this landmark initiative.
The city is also shifting the date when businesses would be required to post visible notices of the upcoming single-use plastic bag ban to 90 days before October 14.
This updated amendment to the legislation also adds new details to the ban including:
- Adding a requirement that the City launch and maintain a webpage dedicated to providing public information on the policy;
- Directing the Department of Public Works to cultivate and share lists of distributors for both compliant paper bags and reusable bags;
- Creating a three-step sanctions framework whereby inspectors can issue written warnings for initial violations which would then be followed by escalating fines.
“It is critical for this success of this major initiative that the city is prepared to best help businesses and consumers make the transition,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “This extra time will allow us to do the work to be able to enact this policy with proper guidance for everyone in order to make this as smooth as possible for all of us. I would like to thank everyone on City Council, our environmental advocates, and community members for working with us to make this major piece of legislation a success.”
The City of Pittsburgh encourages businesses and consumers to begin going plastic-free ahead of the October deadline.
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