Seattle Bans Plastic Bags, and Sets a Charge for Paper

The City Council in Seattle voted unanimously on Monday to ban plastic grocery bags and charge a 5-cent fee on paper bags—and this time city leaders hope the ban actually takes effect.

Three years ago, Seattle city officials became the first in the nation to approve a fee on paper and plastic bags, instituting a charge of 20 cents for each bag provided by many retail stores. The idea was to create a financial incentive to reduce pollution: the fee was supposed to prompt people to bring reusable bags with them to shop.