Oak Park shoppers will pay more for single-use bags starting Jan. 1, 2027. The Village Board voted 6-1 on Aug. 25 to raise the per-bag fee and phase out plastic bags by 2030.

The fee on single-use plastic and paper bags at stores 5,000 square feet or larger will jump from 10 cents to 15 cents per bag on Jan. 1, 2027, according to the Wednesday Journal. It will rise another nickel each year after that, reaching 20 cents in 2028 and 25 cents in 2029. Plastic bags will be banned outright in 2030, while paper bags will remain available at the 25-cent rate.

The fee currently applies to 17 businesses, mainly grocery stores.

Trustee Brian Straw moved the ordinance, ORD 26-156, and Trustee Derek Eder seconded it. The Oak Park Environment and Energy Commission recommended the change.

Lindsey Roland Nieratka, the village's chief sustainability officer, told the board the current 10-cent fee has not curbed bag use. Bag use at covered retailers has actually climbed 39% compared to the policy's first year, according to staff data presented at the Aug. 25 meeting. The fee has generated roughly $170,000 a year and more than $1.16 million total since the original bag fee took effect in 2018, Roland Nieratka said, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.

Roland Nieratka said the 17 affected businesses were included in discussions about the proposed change and that there was "no significant pushback" from them. Staff projected the 15-cent fee could cut bag use by 50% while maintaining the same annual revenue. The three-year phase-in is intended to give the village time to educate the community before the ban takes effect.

Trustee Cory Wesley cast the lone dissenting vote. "Even though it's only a nickel, it feels like it's not the right time to increase costs for people shopping for food," Wesley said at the meeting. He called the increase "tone deaf" to residents' financial struggles.

Customers using SNAP, LINK, WIC or other food assistance programs remain exempt from the fee.

Under the new ordinance, paper bags must contain at least 40% recycled content and have handles. Staff agreed to return with a memo on whether compostable plastic bags could serve as a compliant alternative once the ban takes effect.

Free reusable bags are available at Village Hall. The next Village Board meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers, 123 Madison St.