Kansas City cannot enforce a plastic bag ban or fee. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 260.283 provides that 'no political subdivision shall impose any ban, fee, or tax upon the use of either paper or plastic bags for packaging of any item or good purchased from a merchant, itinerant vendor, or peddler.' The preemption applies statewide.
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 260.283 was enacted in 2015 (HB 722) and provides at subsection 2: 'No political subdivision shall impose any ban, fee, or tax upon the use of either paper or plastic bags for packaging of any item or good purchased from a merchant, itinerant vendor, or peddler.' The statute defines 'bag' broadly to include paper and plastic bags supplied by retailers at the point of sale. Columbia, MO had considered a bag ban before § 260.283 was enacted; the preemption foreclosed the proposal. Kansas City Solid Waste Division operates the Recycle More KC curbside program (which excludes plastic bags from the blue cart), the Bridging the Gap partnership for plastic-film drop-offs at participating retailers, and the Sustainable KC strategy. Kansas City's Climate Protection Plan includes voluntary plastics-reduction goals through Mayor Quinton Lucas's KC Spirit Playbook but cannot impose retailer mandates without state action.
Kansas City cannot fine retailers or shoppers for plastic-bag distribution. Litter from discarded bags is enforced under Kansas City Code Chapter 62 (Solid Waste) and Mo. Rev. Stat. § 577.073 (criminal littering). Putting plastic bags in curbside recycling carts is a contamination issue addressed through education, not citations.
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