Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Statewide Plastic Bag Fee - Part Deux
California State Assembly Member Julia Brownley recently introduced AB 68 in an effort to regulate the rampant consumption and littering of single-use plastic bags. This first version of the bill proposes a 25 cent fee on plastic bags to be imposed on a statewide level in large grocery stores and convenience stores by 2010. The fee is intended to encourage shoppers to use reusable shopping bags. Revenue generated from the fee will be dedicated to litter prevention and abatement efforts that will eventually save the state and municipalities millions of dollars in clean up costs.
This bill is very similar to AB 2058 (Levine) which was introduced to the California legislature last year, which made it out of the Assembly and almost out of the Senate. With even more support from local municipalities and the environmental community, along with the backing of the California Ocean Protection Council through their legislative recommendation, this year's AB 68 is expected to move swiftly to the Governor's desk for approval this year.
For more information, see http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_0051-0100/ab_68_bill_20081212_introduced.html
