Shopping-Bag Fee – Going Green

Seattle shoppers will soon pay a 20-cent bag charge when using disposable paper or plastic shopping bags at drug, convenience and grocery stores.

I remember on my first trip to the supermarket when we lived in London, England, I had to pay for my bags.  It was a surprise then and I quickly learned to bring my own canvas bags.  I’ve now started doing that here. They also had an area of the store roped off with discarded cardboard boxes that we could use for large orders.

What is your take on this new Seattle law? Do you use your own bags at the market?

Here’s the article from the Seattle Times.

Seattle City council approvesvshopping bag fee

The Seattle City Council has approved a 20-cent bag charge on disposable paper or plastic shopping bags provided at convenience, drug and grocery stores.

SEATTLE —The Seattle City Council has approved a 20-cent bag charge on disposable paper or plastic shopping bags provided at convenience, drug and grocery stores.

The proposal passed by a vote of 6-1 on Monday. Councilwoman Jan Drago cast the lone dissenting vote.

City officials estimate Seattle citizens use 360 million paper or plastic bags each year.

By a vote of 7-0, the council also approved a two-part ban on certain Styrofoam containers.

The bag fee and a ban on foam containers for food from takeout restaurants will take effect in January. A ban on foam trays used for raw meat and seafood at grocery stores is set to take effect in July 2010.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company