Proposed fee advances in Portland, Maine
A Portland city council task force proposal would attach a $.10 “waste reduction fee” for each disposable shopping bag used in the city of Portland.
The proposal has won the endorsement of a special working group and will head to a City Council subcommittee for review.
Originally, the proposed fee would apply to bags given out by grocery and convenience stores but has been extended to include dry cleaners, restaurants and food trucks and farmers markets.
The fee would be charged for both plastic and paper bags and is intended to encourage the use of reusable shopping bags and reduce litter.
Opponents of the idea, including a group representing Maine grocers, has said a fee would encourage people to shop outside Portland, and that education and recycling are better solutions to the litter problem.
Under the ordinance, stores would get to keep 40 percent of the fees charged, in order to administer the program, train staff, and educate customers about recycling of disposable bags and alternatives such as reusable ones. The city would receive 60 percent of the fees, and would use the funds for a variety of environmental cleanup measures.
The surcharge, if approved, will go into effect by the end of 2014.
Published in the March 2014 Edition of American Recycler News