DULUTH, MN (KDAL) – Starting Friday merchants in Duluth are required to charge at least five cents for every plastic bag provided.
The fee was approved by the City Council in an effort to reduce litter and the harmful environmental impact caused by single use plastic carryout bags.
The original ordinance was to have started in April of last year but was extended because of the pandemic.
It is hoped that the fee will provide an incentive for customers to choose reusable bags to carry out purchases.
There are several exceptions to the fee requirement:
1. Any bag without handles used exclusively to carry produce, meats, other food items or merchandise to the point of sale inside a store or to prevent such items from coming into direct contact with other purchase items.
2. Bags provided by pharmacists to contain prescription drugs.
3. Bags used to transport take-out foods and prepared liquids intended for consumption away from the retail establishment.
4. Newspaper bags, door-hanger bags, laundry-dry cleaning bags, bags used to protect fine art paper or bags sold in packages containing multiple bags intended for use as garbage, pet waste, or yard waste bags.
5. Bags made out of paper.
