Five-Cent Plastic Bag Fee Ordinance Passes in Duluth

Just as the city of Minneapolis passed last Friday, the City of Duluth has passed a five-cent plastic bag fee ordinance. The Duluth City Council passed the ordinance by a 6-2 vote.

According to our media partners at WDIO-TV:

Customers at grocery stores, department stores, hardware stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, restaurants, and convenience stores will now be charged a five-cent fee for single-use plastic bags.

The exceptions to this ordinance include bags containing prescription drugs from pharmacists and bags for produce or meats. Paper bag users will also not be charged a fee.

The group "Bag It Duluth" has been an advocate for this and hopes it will encourage Duluthians to use reusable bags.

If you're wondering who gets the 5 cents per plastic bag collected, it will simply stay with the stores to help offset the cost of purchasing bags.