After more than a decade of negotiations and failed efforts to reduce the use of plastics, Illinois lawmakers are considering legislation that would prohibit large retailers from offering single-use plastic bags and ban the use of most polystyrene containers in the state over the next four to five years.
Advocates, citing the threat of rising plastic waste to human and environmental health, say the timing for the bills is ripe given rising health concerns about microplastics and the passage of similar legislation in states like New Jersey and California. Retailers also support the measures, calling the requirements balanced and flexible, according to a statement from the Illinois Retail Merchants Association.
But at the same time, President Donald Trump’s administration is moving in an opposite direction, with Trump declaring America is going “back to plastic” by reversing federal restrictions on plastic drinking straws and dismantling departments that regulate plastic pollution.
In addition, some labor unions, including the Illinois Pipe Trades Association and AFL-CIO, oppose the move to do away with foam food containers. Manufacturers have expressed concerns the measures could lead to thousands of layoffs if the facilities that make the banned products are forced to shut down as their in-state customer base disappears.
Two bills are awaiting a vote in the state Senate. One measure would use financial penalties under the jurisdiction of the attorney general and local state’s attorney offices to restrict the sale or distribution of disposable containers made of polystyrene — known by the brand name Styrofoam — with the exception of egg cartons, starting in January 2030. The other bill would prohibit retailers with more than a dozen stores from offering or making available single-use checkout bags by January 2029.
State Sen. Laura Fine, a Democrat from Glenview who’s sponsoring the foam container bill, said there are alternatives to polystyrene and plastic bags and that the measures are necessary “to get the bad products off the market so we could have a cleaner environment and help our kids.”
Environmental advocates widely agree there’s an unhealthy proliferation of plastic waste and that plastic bags and polystyrene are the “worst of the worst,” partly because of how long these products take to decompose, said Emily Kowalski, outreach engagement manager with Environment Illinois. She noted about 22 million pounds of plastics enter the Great Lakes every year, according to 2022 estimates from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
“Nothing we use for just a few minutes should be allowed to pollute our water and environment for hundreds of years,” Kowalski said.
Volunteers with the Alliance for the Great Lakes have collected more than 10 million pieces of litter in the past 20 years at beaches of the five Great Lakes, 86% of it partially or fully plastic, according to Andrea Densham, senior policy adviser with the environmental organization. Polystyrene foam pieces were the third most common litter item that volunteers found over the years. Densham said this is a threat to drinking water and the lakes, citing that the Great Lakes hold 20% of the world’s fresh water and provide drinking water for over 40 million people.
“I’ve seen there’s still foam in the Stratton cafeteria, so I would like to see the state leading by example,” said Jack Darin, director of the Illinois Sierra Club chapter, referring to a state government office building in Springfield that was required to stop procuring foam, or polystyrene, for use by January 2025 under the 2023 law.
Sen. Cristina Castro’s bill to ban plastic bags contains a provision that would eliminate municipal taxes on plastic bags by 2029, including Chicago’s, which at 7 cents a bag in 2023 generated more than $17 million. Castro, of Elgin, said municipalities have not been using the extra cash to support sustainable initiatives, as was intended by advocates. An outright ban, instead of a tax, would be more successful in limiting plastic waste, Castro said.
“Instead of using the money for sustainability programs, a lot of them (municipalities) have used it for filling the coffers or plugging some other hole, which has frustrated a lot of the environmentalists, activists, who have said, ‘Hey, that was supposed to help with recycling and things like that,’” said Castro.
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