SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento City Council has directed city staff to begin work on an ordinance that would prohibit the use of single-use plastic bags at big supermarkets, department stores and chain pharmacies that stock groceries, the Sacramento Bee reports. Smaller retailers would probably not be impacted by the ban.

The measure would also tack on a nickel or dime fee on paper shopping bags; the stores would keep that fee, not the city. The City Council€™s Law and Legislation Committee is pushing the ban, which would probably not happen until June. The full council will vote on the bill after it has been through the committee.

Ban opponents claim that the ordinance would hurt the industry that produces plastic bags and jeopardize the jobs of 1,900 residents. Also of concern is that consumers would switch to paper or reusable bags, which come with their own set of problems.

Last month, California Assemblyman Marc Levine sponsored a bill that would ban plastic bags throughout the state. Currently more than 50 California municipalities have enacted similar measures. Last November, the Ontario Convenience Stores Association has filed legal action against Toronto over its plastic bag ban.