Campaign Timeline and status:
March 20, 2023: City of Asheville launches Plastic Reduction Survey
The City of Asheville seeks community input on its Plastic Reduction Survey, which will remain open until April 30, 2023. Asheville residents and businesses are encouraged to take the survey to inform the city’s next steps and recommended actions. Click here to take the survey and help mitigate single-use plastic and microplastic pollution in Asheville!
October 11, 2022: Asheville City Council Meeting
City Council voted in favor of a phased implementation of the ordinance, with hopeful full implementation beginning in late 2023. Click here to watch the replay of the meeting. Click here to learn to read the Asheville Citizen Times article about City Council’s decision.
September 13, 2022: Asheville Governance Committee Meeting
City staff suggested that the vote on the ordinance should be pushed back two years, until fall 2024. Click here to watch the replay of the virtual meeting.
August 23, 2022: Asheville City Council Meeting
French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson hosted a pre-meeting gathering at Pack’s Tavern, where more than 30 people joined us to talk about the ordinance, our strategy, and the broader issues surrounding plastic pollution and microplastics. After some discussion, we headed to the City Council meeting, where we almost filled every available seat! City Council members assured us that they would take up the ordinance at the September 13 Governance Committee in the hopes of bringing it before the full council soon.
June 20, 2022: Asheville Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and the Environment (SACEE) Meeting
SACEE, the city’s sustainability committee, voted in favor of our proposed ban on single-use plastic bags and styrofoam! The next step is for Asheville City Council to pass the ordinance, which will:
Ban the use of plastic shopping bags and styrofoam cups by fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, and retailers.
Charge a 10¢ fee for recyclable paper bags (made from 40% post-consumer waste) that is collected by the business. (Optional)
Exempts customers using EBT, SNAP, and WIC from paying the 10¢ fee.
Encourage businesses to provide plastic straws by request only.
