Pittsburgh officials say they are working to address areas of confusion as the city’s Plastic Bag Ban takes effect.

The ban, meant to reduce litter and waste, went into effect earlier this month. It prohibits most single-use plastic bags, but allows exceptions for unpackaged prepared foods, produce bags, meat packaging, pharmacy bags, pet waste bags and other specific scenarios.

Under the new ordinance, people either have to use reusable bags or pay a 10-cent fee for a paper bag.

Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill, who sponsored the Bag Ban legislation, acknowledged there have been some questions about what kinds of foods could qualify for an exception.

“Whether it’s fast food you pick up at a counter or through a drive-through, if it’s holding loose food like fries or hash browns or something that isn’t fully packaged and the bag is the thing keeping it safe from the outside world and contamination, then of course a 10-cent fee shouldn’t apply to that bag,” Strassburger said.

The ban does apply for drive-through or take-out food that is wrapped or packaged in a way that makes an additional bag “handy, but it’s not necessary,” Strassburger said.

When a restaurant is looking to provide a paper bag for a 10-cent fee, she said, workers should ask customers whether they’d rather pay the fee or take their items without a bag.

“They can then hopefully make the choice that’s best for them,” Strassburger said.

The councilwoman said the “spirit of the ordinance” also applies to businesses that are located outside the city but deliver to locations within city limits. She said city officials could enforce the ban on deliveries to Pittsburgh addresses, but said that would be lower-priority than enforcing the ban on businesses inside the city.

Lex Chen, manager at Red Tea House in Mt. Lebanon, said he knew Pittsburgh had implemented a plastic bag ban, but was unaware of any plans to enforce it on businesses outside the city. He said he didn’t know how such enforcement would work.

Red Tea House uses third-party companies, including Door Dash and Uber Eats, to deliver food to addresses both inside and outside Pittsburgh.

“They do the delivery for us, but we have no control (over) where it goes,” Chen said. “I don’t know how this is eventually going to work for us, because that’s a third-party online platform. They don’t actually share any customer information. We don’t know whether it goes to the city.”

Chen said the restaurant tries to minimize plastic bag usage by putting entire orders into one larger bag, rather than using several bags for one customer.

A Walmart spokesperson said the retailer is now using paper bags for deliveries into the city. Walmart doesn’t have any locations in the city, but its stores deliver within a 10-mile radius, including to addresses within the city.

Walmart customers in Pittsburgh will be charged a 10-cent fee for paper bags on their deliveries.

Strassburger said city officials are taking note of common concerns and points of confusion and working to provide clarifying information online.

“I understand everyone’s frustration, especially when you’re being told to do something and it’s not your own choice,” Strassburger said. “It does take time for people to get used to change. We see this all the time when it comes to new traffic patterns and parking rules. It also comes with change of behavior in the way we do business.”

Businesses or customers with concerns or questions can reach out to the city at [email protected] or through the city’s non-emergency 311 line.