A 2-year-old City Council proposal to impose a 10-cent fee on plastic and paper bags at grocery stores is getting a renewed push under a compromise that would lower the fee to 5 cents, The Post has learned.
Councilman Brad Lander (D-Brooklyn), who is co-sponsoring the bill with Councilwoman Margaret Chin (D-Manhattan), said it’s one of several options on the table, including banning plastic bags outright while imposing a fee just on paper bags.
“We’re looking at a range of options to have an approach that will dramatically reduce waste and have the support of a majority of our colleagues, including the speaker and the mayor,” Lander said.
“People have come up with a number of good ideas.”
The initial proposal had come close to the 26-vote majority needed to pass the council but never won the support of Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito or Mayor de Blasio.
Cutting the fee in half has already generated interest among members who opposed the 10-cent charge, which would go to store owners rather than the city.
“I thought 10 cents was way too much,” said Councilman Alan Maisel (D-Brooklyn), adding that he proposed cutting the fee in half several months ago.
“My constituents would still not be happy with [5 cents], but I do recognize that plastic bags are an environmental disaster.”
Opponents said a lower fee would still hit low-income families the hardest and serve as less of an incentive for New Yorkers to turn to reusable bags.
“I’m against 5 cents. It’s a regressive fee that’s going to hit senior citizens and people least able to pay,” said Councilman James Vacca (D-Bronx). “It’s not going to hit people who have a lot of money, who get Fresh Direct delivery.”
The New York League of Conservation Voters said a 5-cent fee implemented in Washington, DC, has reduced single-use bag consumption by 60 percent.
“Whether it’s 10 cents or 5 cents that gets you to pause for a second and think about whether or not you really need that bag, it’s a win for a greener city,” said Ya-Ting Liu, the group’s New York City program director.
A mayoral spokeswoman said de Blasio would work with the council to reduce plastic-bag waste as part of the city’s environmental goals but declined to weigh in on the proposal.
Mark-Viverito still hasn’t taken a position on the issue, her spokesman said.
