The City of Brookings is no longer accepting plastic bags in its single-stream recycling program.
Millennium Recycling, which takes much of the city’s recyclable material, stopped accepting plastic bags due to changes in the recycling industry.
Marissa Begley is with Millennium Recycling. She said that this is a good opportunity to promote reusable bags while grocery shopping.
"This is not an easily recyclable product and it is very troublesome when it actually gets into the recycling facility," Begley said. "So, our hope, by removing them, is that people will reduce the use of them so they can reduce waste. So, we’re really trying to promote it here in our local community, and then we’re working with different communities to make sure they can get the education out to really reduce the use of plastic bags."
Many states across the country have banned the use of plastic bags, including California and New York.
Begley says it’s unlikely that South Dakota would ban plastic bags, but local stores and businesses can help in reducing use.