Memphis City Council to Vote On Plastic Bag Fee

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Memphis City Council Committee started discussions Tuesday on the proposed ordinance that places tax on single-use plastic bags. The full meeting of the council will vote on first of three readings. The ordinance will require Memphis retails stores to charge seven cents for every plastic bag.

According to Berlin Boyd, City Council Chairman, the sole purpose of the plastic bag tax is not to generate revenue. The ordinance aims to discourage the use of plastic bags, thereby protecting the city’s waterways. The non-biodegradable plastic bags creates huge environmental problem, clogging waterways, spoiling the landscape and ending up in landfills. The ordinance is aimed at ensuring sustainable environment for future generations, Boyd noted.

Initially, the tax will be applied only to large retail stores. The City plans to amend the ordinance to include small stores as well at a later stage. Customers aged above 65 and those eligible for government benefits would be exempt from the tax.

As per the proposal, the stores would be allowed to keep two cents out of the seven cents charged per bag. The remaining five cents would go to the city. The revenue from plastic bags would be utilized towards conducting environmental awareness campaigns, promote riverfront conservation and cleanup waterways jammed with plastic bags and bottles. As per rough estimates, the City spends around $4 million towards removal of plastic bags from waterways every year.