Just over a month into Austin’s disposable bag ban and city retailers are still in compliance with the ordinance.
Austin Resource Recovery Center administers the program and helps businesses comply with the law. Spokesperson Courtney Black said most businesses are complying, but there have been hold-outs.
“Any complaints in terms of businesses being non-compliant are directed by customers, so we’ve received a few instances of that where a customer’s actually calling to report non-compliance,” Black said.
Black says most calls have been from businesses looking to stay within the code such as restaurants and others that are allowed exemptions to the ban and those applying for for those exemptions.
So far 40 businesses have been approved for exemptions from the ban and 16 of those have been given permission to deplete their stock of single use bags before moving on to reusable bags. Two have been denied exemptions.
