(LEWES, Del.)- Delaware lawmakers may begin consideration for House Bill 202 this session. The bill requires a five-cent fee for every single-use plastic bag.
"I like using plastic because they save me money because I can use those plastic bags in all of my little garbage cans around the house" said Lois Runco as she left the Acme in Rehoboth.
The five-cent fee is per bag, meaning ten bags of groceries will add an extra 0.50 cents to your total.
"I'm not for the fee because it adds up. Long long ago they used to pay you if you brought in your reusable bag," said Candy Siegele.
According to the bill, stores will charge the extra fee and they will use that extra money to promote the use and distribution of reusable bags.
Connie Schantz has seen this law work in Maryland: "I was visiting my son Montgomery County, Maryland a couple of months ago and they have the five cent, and every single person you see walking into that grocery store has a reusable bag. It's very effective."
Lawmakers say the purpose of the fee is to clean up watersheds, reduce trash management costs to taxpayers, and promote the health of watersheds and wildlife.
"We're surrounded by water and all of our waterways are full of these bags, they are all over the place. You can't drive down the street without seeing one of those bags. You can't go out on the beach without finding one of those bags laying in the sand," said Rich King of Delaware Surf Fishing.
The fee is only required in large grocery stores such as Acme, Safeway, Food Lion, etc. or a store that has three more locations.