Eugene, Ore – If you’re looking to bring home the groceries in plastic bags, you might have a problem. On May 1st, Eugene’s ban on plastic bags took effect, eliminating any carry-out bags that are more than four one-thousandths of an inch thick.

According to a report from the Register-Guard, Eugene is the third city in Oregon to ban plastic bags along with Portland and Corvallis. Though some exceptions are being made, by May of next year all stores mus be completely plastic bag free. Stores that fail to Paper bags are still available for purchase, and customers are advised to bring reusable bags when shopping.

Although an estimated 67 million plastic bags are used every year, there is one University professor who says that paper bags have longer negative effects than plastic bags.

“Life cycle assessments show that you use far more chemicals when you make something out of paper than when you do out of plastic,” David Tyler, University professor, said.

Tyler is working on a project that would make plastic bags more degradable, and recommends people should be recycling more rather than banning plastic bags.

To circumvent this change, the Duck Store is increasing the thickness of their plastic bags to make them more reusable. The bags should arrive by June 1.

For more on the story, click here: Plastic Bags

Adam Holmes, Duck TV News