The Flagstaff City Council takes up a draft ordinance Tuesday aimed at banning the use of plastic bags.

The council will not vote on the issue Tuesday but could give direction to city staffers. The Flagstaff Sustainability Commission and the city staff have been working on the issue of single-use plastic bags for years. 

Now they could be ready to ban them, rather than imposing a fee for plastic bag use.

Most such bags are used to bring groceries and other necessities home, but the city is concerned about the bags creating unsightly trash when they’re disposed of improperly, and gumming up the works at its recycling center.

The Arizona Daily Sun reports the draft ordinance encourages businesses to make reusable bags available to customers free of charge or sell them at their checkouts.  It would take effect six months after its adoption. 

Bisbee is the only Arizona city that currently bans single-use plastic bags.