Traverse City becomes the first northern Michigan city to ban single-use plastics at all city facilities and events, with the ordinance taking effect July 1 and fines up
The Traverse City Commission unanimously passed a comprehensive single-use plastics ordinance Monday that will ban disposable plastic bags, straws, foam containers, and single-use plastic cutlery at all city-owned facilities, parks, beaches, and events beginning July 1, 2026 — making Traverse City the first municipality in northern Michigan to enact a ban of this scope.
The ordinance, championed by Commissioner Amy Shamroe and backed by a coalition of environmental groups, resort businesses, and local restaurant owners, comes after more than two years of public hearings, stakeholder consultations, and a city-sponsored pilot program that successfully transitioned the Traverse City Farmers Market to zero single-use plastics over the past summer season.
“Grand Traverse Bay is one of our most precious natural assets, and every piece of plastic that ends up in that water is a threat to the ecosystem and the economy that depends on it,” Shamroe said after the vote. “This is about protecting what makes Traverse City worth visiting and worth living in.”
The ban covers all city-managed venues and any private events requiring city permits, including the Cherry Festival, the National Writers Series, outdoor concerts, and organized athletics at city parks. Vendors at permitted events will be required to use compostable or reusable alternatives and will face fines of up to $500 per violation for non-compliance after a 90-day grace period.
Local environmental monitoring data presented to the commission showed that microplastic concentrations in Grand Traverse Bay had increased by 34 percent over the past decade, with much of the increase attributable to fragments from single-use consumer products rather than industrial sources. The Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council, which commissioned the study, called the ordinance a necessary first step in reversing that trend.
Restaurant and catering industry representatives initially raised cost concerns but largely supported the final version of the ordinance after the city agreed to create a $250,000 transition assistance fund to help small food service businesses purchase compliant alternatives at bulk pricing through a city-negotiated purchasing agreement.
City officials said they would evaluate extending the ban to all private businesses within city limits in 2027 pending a review of implementation outcomes and economic impacts from the first phase.
