Seattle, WA

On July 28, 2008, the Seattle city council passed an ordinance establishing an "advanced recovery fee" for disposable shopping bags (the "Bag Tax"). Under the Bag Tax, which was passed by a vote of 6 – 1, all grocery, drug and convenience stores would be required to charge a $0.20 fee (tax) per disposable bag (both paper and plastic) provided to customers. The Bag Tax would be paid by consumers and would be used to partially offset the increasing costs of waste disposal, to fund other environmental projects and to cover the cost to administer the Bag Tax. The Bag Tax was to take effect on January 1, 2009.

Numerous constituencies, including the citizens of Seattle, opposed the Bag Tax passed by the City Council. The Coalition to Stop the Seattle Bag Tax, a group funded by the independent grocers of Washington and the plastics industry, was successful in collecting enough valid signatures to put the Bag Tax to a public referendum vote to be scheduled sometime in 2009.

The independent grocers of Washington, represented by the Washington Food industry, responded to the Bag Tax by proposing their own solution to the disposable bag issue that did not involve taxes or bans. The Washington Food Industry began proactively presenting their solution to the bag issue in other cities and towns across the state. On November 4, 2008, Spokane announced approval by its city council of the program being proposed by the WFI. The Spokane program was backed by Fred Meyer (Kroger), Safeway, Albertsons, Super One, Huckleberries and Rosauers. The key tenets of the program being implemented in Spokane include:

1. Program based on the slogan "Choose to Re-Use"
2. Sponsor reusable bag campaigns
3. Place reminders throughout stores to use reusable bags
4. Provide a rebate or financial incentive to customers who use reusable bags
5. Participate in an annual "Bring Your Own Bag Day" campaign
6. Train employees to encourage use of reusable bags
7. Provide in-store recycling for plastic and paper reusable bags

The program in Spokane set a goal of increasing reusable bag usage from 3% to 10% within a year, with a goal of having half of all bags being reusable within five years. BagYourRewards commends the Washington Food Industry and the grocery industry in Washington for its efforts to create a solution to the problem that rewards consumers for their efforts. We created our business on the same basic principles, that if we provide the proper incentive for consumers, we can change their behavior and create a healthier and more sustainable environment. Say no to taxes or bans and yes to positive incentives.