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It’s a big day for possible surcharge announcements! The City Council has proposed a bill that would require grocery and other retail shops to charge customers ten cents for the privilege of bringing their purchases home in a new paper or plastic bag. (Proceeds from the fee would go back to the store owners.) The plan, which is currently endorsed by 19 council members (it needs 26 votes to pass), is intended to encourage people to bring their own reusable bags so that the city can cut down on the 5.2 billion plastic ones it sends to landfills every year. This idea shouldn’t be too hard to sell: After all, the people of New York love tote bags.
