Changes to how you shop could be coming soon. City leaders say they're close to a voluntary agreement with area retailers and grocers to drastically reduce the number of plastic bags throughout the city.

Many city officials and environmental groups want to eliminate plastic bags altogether since they take up valuable landfill space, are harmful to creeks and litter public areas. City leaders estimate 1,000 tons of plastic bags are placed into our landfills just from Austin. City Council Member Lee Leffingwell says thru a voluntary agreement, the city will give major grocers and retailers time to reduce the number of bags used, if not phase them out altogether.

KVUE News

"In 12 months we could see how we're doing and then move on from there," says Leffingwell. He didn't rule out banning the bags if measurable progress isn't made.

One local environmental group, Bag the Bags, estimates Austinites use more than 100 million plastic bags every single year. San Francisco is the only other city in the US with a plastic bag ban.