New legislation being introduced Tuesday at the Connecticut General Assembly will allow grocery stores to charge customers to use plastic bags, part of an agreement reached with State Sen. Ted Kennedy, Jr. (D-Branford).
Kennedy has been working on a bill to ban plastic bags entirely from Connecticut, and the bill he will introduce Tuesday is a compromise between him and the Connecticut Food Association, which represents the grocery stores.
One source with knowledge of the bill’s language said grocers could charge 5 cents per plastic bag the first year and 10 cents per bag the following years. Stan Sorkin – president of the food association – declined to comment further, pending Tuesday’s announcement.
The money raised by the plastic bag fee would be split with 60 percent going to the state to be spent on food banks and conservation efforts and 40 percent going to the grocery stores for conservation education, according to a government source.
The Connecticut Retail Merchants Association plans to oppose the bill because of the added cost to consumers, said Tim Phelan, CRMA president.
“We have to be sure that the impact doesn’t hurt sales or consumers,” Phelan said.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who must ultimately sign any bill into law, has previously said he believes plastic bags can be useful beyond their initial use.
