FARGO (KFGO) - Fargo City Commissioner John Strand calls it a brain-storming session on how to curb the use of plastic bags to cut back on a major source of litter and landfill waste.
Strand and Moorhead City Council member Sara Watson Curry are teaming up for a community conversation on how the metro area can reduce the use of plastic bags, increase recycling of the bags, and stepping up the use of alternatives. The group includes local goverment leaders, area solid waste experts, the homebuilders association and the North Dakota Grocers Assocation.
Strand says the discussion is not about a plastic bag ban or charging people who use them. He says they want a more user-friendly approach. He says, "the hope is to raise consciousness about the environment and how people can do little things that have a big impact."
While Strand says there's no interest in a plastic bag ban locally, many cities across the country have already aproved such bans or have imposed fee's at the check-out counter. A ban starts June 1 in Minneapolis.