Paper bag fees could be coming to Philadelphia

Driving the news: City legislators are weighing a proposal that would require stores to charge at least 10 cents per carry-out bag.

• The proposed fee wouldn't just hit grocery shoppers. All retailers — from boutiques to hardware stores — would have to charge at checkout.
• Yes, but: There would be exemptions, including for bags without handles for perishable items like fruit and meat at grocery stores, or unwrapped prepared food from a food truck.

Context: Philly already bans the use of single-use plastic bags as well as certain paper bags at retail stores.

• Plus: Many Philly grocers and businesses already charge bag fees.

Zoom in: The proposal, which passed out of a legislative committee this week, is expected to be taken up Thursday by the full City Council.

• A final vote could come within weeks.

What they're saying: A bag fee could help change people's behavior, the proposal's main sponsor, Councilman Mark Squilla, said during this week's hearing.

• "If you did have to pay, you're more likely to remember to bring that bag with you," he said.

The other side: Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration is against the fees.

• The administration believes bag fees could hurt mom-and-pop shops, financially burden low-income Philadelphians, and drive city residents to shop outside the city, Carlton Williams, the director of the city's Office of Clean and Green Initiatives, testified at this week's hearing.
• Enforcement would also be challenging, he noted.

Between the lines: City Council could override a potential Parker veto with 12 votes in the 17-member chamber.

Flashback: Philly has debated bag fees for years.

• Most recently in 2023, legislators passed a 15-cent bag fee, which was stamped out by a veto from former Mayor Jim Kenney.

Zoom out: Bag fees have been popping up in the 'burbs, including Lower Merion and Doylestown.