The City Council voted Thursday afternoon to pass a bill to require grocery stores and other retailers to charge shoppers a nickel for every plastic bag they use. The new law, scheduled to take effect on Oct. 1, requires that all New York City stores charge five cents for paper and plastic bags in the hopes the small fee will encourage customers to bring their own bags from home. Although city officials say there won’t be active enforcement until next April. The Sanitation Department expects the fee could reduce bag waste by about 60 percent, based on the experience of other cities that have implemented a similar fee.

Source: City Council Votes in Favor of Five-Cent Plastic Bag Fee