Shoppers in Austin will soon need to reuse their paper bags to carry their goods.

Shoppers in Austin, Texas will soon need to reuse their paper bags to carry their goods, as the age of plastic prepares to come to an end.

A motion has already been passed which will see the use of plastic bags outlawed and now local officials have announced that they are to roll out a huge project to inform the public about what this entails.

It is believed that the project will cost close to $1 million (£620,000) and will use all manner of advertising platforms, including social media, TV and radio.

Rick Cofer, the region's zero waste advisory commission chair, told Your News Now that the new rules would be wide-ranging and people should be ready for their implementation.

"This ordinance has very few exemptions, and that means whether you do retail or you do food service, or you're a grocery store, it is going to apply to you," he said.

"It is the first ordinance in a large city that puts a ban on single-use paper bags and single-use plastic bags."

The move has generally been welcomed, with many people pleased at the decision to switch towards a more environmentally friendly approach to carrier bags, but there have been concerns about there being a missed opportunity.

Ronnie Volkening, from the Texas Retailers Association, said the motion could have been used to promote the area better.

"This was a missed opportunity to let Austin be a true leader in recycling, and a true leader in the environmental issue of how to responsibly manage plastic bags and other film in a way that really promotes Texas jobs," he said.

Austin is far from the first area of the US to do this, with various American towns adopting a ban on plastic bags in order to better safeguard the local environment. Meanwhile on the other side of the Atlantic, things are also moving towards paper too.

A motion was tabled earlier this week in the House of Parliament calling for more to be done to reduce paper bag use.

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