Plastic Chicago

A roundup of this week’s urban plasticity:

* The war on drugs goes micro. The city council may ban those little plastic baggies that drug dealers use for their wares. Ald. Walter Burnett (27th), however, is worried about innocent people who may bet caught up in a sting, noting that “extra buttons that come with suits, shirts and blouses – and jewelry that’s been repaired – come in similar plastic bags.”

* In a cover story titled “The Plastic Plague,” the Reader asks, “Even China has found ways to deal with the glut of plastic shopping bags. When will Chicago get it together?”

* And the CTA is installing fare-card machines that will accept plastic.