Metro Council on Plastic Bags, Yard Waste: No Ban

Grass clippings, raked leaves, and other kinds of yard waste make great compost.  But of the nearly 100,000 tons of yard waste Louisvillians generate each year, half is landfilled.  That’s mostly because it’s stuffed in plastic bags.  Brightside head Cynthia Knapek hopes to change that.  But she says council members resisted the proposal to ban the bags, with some saying the ban would cost taxpayers more.“While sometimes you are going to pay more for a biodegradable bag, you’re not going to pay a lot more.  And that’s only one option,” Knapek said.Knapek says the other options are low or no cost.  They include composting yard waste yourself or labeling a regular trash bin for yard waste.  Knapek says several cities across the country have already banned plastic bags for yard waste, including Lexington.