CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Starting July 5 Charlotte residents will have to start using paper bags, instead of plastic ones, for their yard waste.

What You Need to Know

City leaders say they are making the switch because plastic bags can not be recycled or composted

Plastic bags also contribute to higher labor costs

Residents who don’t comply could face a minimum fine of $150

For the last few years Leah Peterson and her son, William, have been using paper bags to collect leaves. She has been doing this to be more sustainable. According to the EPA about 4.2 million tons of plastic bags were dumped in U.S. landfills in 2018.

“It’s sad, you think about how many bags everyone uses to collect their leaves, especially in the fall,” Peterson said.

But Peterson knew if just her family did this, it wouldn’t make much difference. So she pushed for her neighborhood to be part of a pilot program to test out using paper bags.

“The pilot was very successful in the city, which helped put it in front of city council and make the change over to paper bags,” Peterson said.

Since 2016 the Charlotte leaders said yard waste has increased by 30%, and that’s not the only reason city workers are busy. When residents left their yard waste in plastic bags, workers had to rip open each bag, dump it into their truck and then later take the bags to the landfill. Deputy Director of Charlotte Solid Waste Services Eric DeLaPena says switching to paper bags is better for the environment and most cost effective.

“Each leaf season, from September to January, the city of Charlotte has to hire additional staff to assist with yard waste collection,” DeLaPena said. “And also the de-bagging process at an offsite facility, which has an additional cost as well.”

DeLaPena said they will no longer have to bare this extra cost with paper bags. He also added that residents can leave their yard waste in an open trash bin if it is not bagged.

Free paper bags can be picked up at four full-service recycling facilities in Mecklenburg County.