Dupage Policy Journal

The Batavia City Council recently approved an ordinance to impose a fee on single-use plastic bags in retailers.

The fee of 10 cents per bag would apply to businesses larger than 5,000 square feet.

During the Nov. 21 meeting, which was streamed on YouTube, it was noted that the fee would not apply to bags used in businesses such as restaurant carryouts or bags used to pick up produce.

“The money that is generated by the 10 cents a bag fee is going to pay for a part of the education on it,” Alderman Alan Wolff said during the meeting. “And if we were to decide a year or two from now that we had money in that fund, and we wanted to use it to try and incentivize businesses to do it we could use that money.”

The City Council heard from several residents who expressed their opposition to the proposal, noting that it would cause undue difficulties for businesses and require additional staff for enforcement, which would result in increased costs for consumers.

Others at the meeting questioned the impact of the ordinance, because it would only apply to 17 businesses in the city. Still others commented that it would impact local businesses disproportionately over large chains.

Additionally, the City Council discussed how it would gauge the success of the program, noting that it could see a drop in fees that would signal a drop in the use of single-use bags. The fees could be used for educating the public on the issue as well as on how to be more green.