Changes To Be Made To Proposed Cheyenne Plastic Bag Ban

The primary sponsor of a proposal in the Cheyenne City Council to ban single-use plastic bags in Cheyenne says he is planning to make some changes to the proposal.

Ward Three Councilman Richard Johnson says at the next council meeting he will present amendments that would remove a 10-cent per bag tax on paper bags and move the starting date for the proposed law from Jan. 1, 2024, to July 1.

You can read the ordinance as currently written (prior to the changes Johnson plans to put forward) here.

Johnson, who is also President of the City Council, made the comments at a City Council Finance Committee meeting. The council ended up not making a recommendation on the proposal.

Unlike the Wyoming Legislature or U.S. Congress, Cheyenne City Council legislation does not need a committee to approve a proposal, so the proposed ban will move on for consideration at the next city council meeting on August 28. The committee did take public comment on the proposed ordinance, with most speakers opposing the measure. Several speakers said they feel the law would infringe on the kind of personal freedoms that Wyoming residents cherish. Some also questioned the terminology of single-use plastic bags, saying they use the bags more than once.

Mark Moody of Cheyenne said he was concerned that the measure would send a negative message to the energy industries that provide the backbone of the Cowboy State economy, saying the impact could be felt around the state and not only in Cheyenne.

But Marcy Kindred, who ran for a seat in the Wyoming Legislature as a Democrat in 2022 spoke in support of the measure, saying she thinks protecting Wyoming's great outdoors is very much in line with Wyoming values.

Jackson has a similar law on the books, as do several US. states including Colorado.

Councilman Johnson says he has concerns about the 250 tons per day plastic bags contribute to the Cheyenne landfill as well as the effect of plastics on the environment.