It is a mayoral election year in 2009. First the mayor ( Gridlock Greg ) was out fixing pot holes. Now he is trying to eliminate plastic bags and foam cups. What is next: tougher leash laws ? This is just another pre-election stunt to keep Gridlock's name in the press as a "Can Do Guy". Who can ever forget the killing of the monorail or his continuous attempts at eliminating the Alaskan Way viaduct. Way to go Greg ! Worry about little things and kill useful things like transportation.

Way to go Greg!! Are you in competition with Detroit for having the worst mayor in America? Stop your grandstanding and make this a city people want to come to and do business in. 20 years ago I couldn't wait to move to this city. Now I can't wait to leave.

I can do better than 20 a bag! I declare 1 buck tax on each roll of toilet paper sold in Seattle!!It will go to the pitiful fools in Snohomish County for accepting all your sewage.

Great. I needed yet ANOTHER reason to avoid coming into Seattle.

It's just another way to get their hands into your pockets,another "Political catchphrase" like global warming! Perhaps someone FORGOT that EVERYTHING comes from the earth and eventually returns there,EVERYTHING!High CO2 levels built this planet,global warming is a planet cycle and politicians are ALL trying to live YOUR life to their twisted standards,get your guns son,it's time for a revolution!

I think instead of coming up with new taxes, government needs to be accountable for what they currently collect and spend. Wasn't the lotto proceeds suppose to support the school needs yet every year I see school bonds on the ballot. And what is happening with all the fuel tax being collected for roads and bridges.... now we need to toll every bridge and hov lane in addition to it.
This needs to stop! We are already heavily taxed. There is only 24 hours a day for me to try and make a living and our government officials are finding more ways to take my income away!
They need to be all voted out and someone who is fiscally responsible and understands budgeting 101 needs to be elected.

I think instead of coming up with new taxes, government needs to be accountable for what they currently collect and spend. Wasn't the lotto proceeds suppose to support the school needs yet every year I see school bonds on the ballot. And what is happening with all the fuel tax being collected for roads and bridges.... now we need to toll every bridge and hov lane in addition to it. This needs to stop! We are already heavily taxed. There is only 24 hours a day for me to try and make a living and our government officials are finding more ways to take my income away! They need to be all voted out and someone who is fiscally responsible and understands budgeting 101 needs to be elected.

We need a welfare mother to take over seattle,someone who can opperate within a budget and still accomplish what they set out to do.OR perhaps they could impose a "Stupid Thought" tax,and our politicians will be collected from every time they open their mouths.At this point in time do we really need leaders who can't lead?

Exactly why Im leaving. Ron Simms, Greg Nickles, KC council, Christine whatshername, and all their political correctness. Going to Idaho where people are real and taxes are low. Bye Bye

I suspect that the plastic bags and styrofoam food containers that litter our streets and waterways aren't generated by the resposible, tax paying, family size, grocery shoppers that this ludicrous measure will most affect. Individuals that litter, will litter what ever containers their goods come in, and will probably pay the extra 20 cents anyhow. As for the "green" status of plastic grocery bags? I use the ones I collect, free, to dispose of the weekly rubbish generated by my hosuehold. They go out in the weekly trach collection and eventually end up in a landfill somewhere. The solution? Buy boxes of plastic trash bags to put the rubbish generated by a household in, that will eventually end up in a landfill somewhere. Way to go Greg!!!

Why are so many against this? You need realize what all the trash is doing to our environment!
There are alternates once in place you won't notice any inconvienance. I say way to go, do it the sooner the better.

My husband and I already use the cloth bags, but sometimes, we want to get a paper bag. I like to re-use it when I need to mail a package, instead of buying essentially the same thing for a higher price at the post office. Lots of people re-use the plastic bags as garbage bags in their cars, bathrooms, and to scoop litter/doggie doo. One way or another, people will still be using plastic bags until a better alternative comes along. So they stop using the bags from the grocery store and buy a huge 300-bags-per-box container of yes, PLASTIC BAGS, from Costco, to replace what they used to re-use from the grocery store. So how is this an improvement? Doesn’t sound like much of one to me. I recycle, use cloth bags, and have my own compost pile, how about some positive reinforcement?

And if the mayor is so gung ho to charge people for not being “green,” when is he going to ban MAIL INSERT ADS?! I get a ton of paper coupons in the mail EVER DAY and I IMMEDIATELY put them in the recycle bin. I have NEVER used them. I’m just not a coupon clipper. Instead of mailing out tons and tons of waste, how about people can either opt in (and let’s make it easy by removing EVERYONE for these circulars, and if you actually want them, you can call or log in to request to keep on the roster), or how about the grocery stores, pizza joints, etc, that offer these coupons, offer them in the store or online? If you clip coupons, why not just grab the insert the next time you shop? That would be much more preferable to me than to have my mailbox crammed full of wasted paper. Honestly, I would love to see the number of people who actually utilize these things (and the percentage of coupons out of the whole thing would be interesting too) versus people like me, who have no use for all that junk mail. How about that Mayor? Can you do something like that?

I think its awesome! Start using reusable bags before there's a fee and you'll have nothing to complain about. How is generating so much waste something to be proud of and keep you coming to Seattle??? If countries like Ireland and China can do it, there's no reason we can't. One bag takes the place of 3 plastic bags on a store trip. Less to carry, less waste, less to throw away. Regardless of politics, its the right thing to do. Some places (i.e. Fred Meyer) give you .05/bag that you bring in. That pays for a reusable bag in 20 trips.

I think it's a step in the right direction, and a good way to fund reusable bags. Not every family can afford the $10.00 or so to have a few good bags. $10.00 equals a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and a couple pounds of apples. Once you have reusable bags most grocers have a per bag discount to not use plastic. Even poor people care for the enviroment- and you have to think of the long term benefits.
So far I've read about how paper and plastic bags can be reused, and how people will just have to buy plastic garbage bags anyway. What you're not thinking about, is even reusing the neverending plastic sacks ( I always seem to be short a bag or few at the store!)
we throw more plastic garbage bags away then we recycle.
If we need the occasional bag we can still get it, 20 cents every now and then isn't too big a deal, but that 20 cent investment will also help pay for disposal of current plastic bags.
I guess the real question is what our enviroment is worth to you.

I will just make sure I do my shopping someplace else. Maybe the city leaders will take notice when the city's B&O and sales tax revenues drop.

I think it is wonderful that everyone is so concerned about the enivornment but the fact that these bags can be included in your recycle bin if you bag them up, that should be enough at this point.

Lets focus on some real issues...do we really need to build so many condos in downtown Seattle? Is there really that much of a housing need? Are most people going to be able to afford them and how many units will be unsold? Also, what about cleaning up our local waterways such as Lake Washington, Elliot Bay, etc. Environmentally friendly our city is not, too much building which is using and not replenshing our natural resources. How about planting some more trees which are dwindling at an astounding rate with all of the construction.

Don't forget the safety or lack there of with the Viaduct.

There is also the traffic issue and the wastefulness of money to build a mass transit system. There are many commuters in this area that don't just commute to downtown or to the airport. Better public transportation will help to resolve some of our environmental issues if we have less cars on the road with less emissions.

Address real issues and stop trying to be so PC and wasting tax payer money!

What a joke!!! Ok Greg, lets spend more money us taxpayers don't have. And raise gas tax even higher to you and the governor can give yourselves pay raises. It must must re election time again!! Build more Condo's and townhomes, that people can afford? Affordable living? yah right!!How about thoses affordable fuel efficent cars, that nobody can afford? LETS GO GREEN!!! ONLY IN GREG NICKLES AND THE GOVERNORS POCKET BOOK!! REMEMBER SPEND, SPEND, SPEND!!!

We have got to get this fat idiot out of office next year! This is not a FEE, it's a TAX, period.

Hey Peleke...

Why don't you do us all a favor.

Go put on your birkenstocks, have a vegan salad, walk around greenlake 3 times, meditate to which ever god you choose and then go F**k Yourself !!!

Hippy Enviromentalists like you are the reason I can't stand Seattle anymore.

Seattle USED to be great, open-minded city and now it is nothing.

Between the war protests every other month... the hippies crying over the pollution that their neighbors car makes and the never ending whining about the weather here....

This city has become a pit of despair.

Peleke.... Go complain to someone who gives a s**t.....

The Sierra Club would love to hear about your concerns.... seeing as how they are so in liine with your way of thinking.

P.S. Take a shower will ya.... You Stink !!!

What next a fee to wipe our toosh? Any thing to make a buck! Where will this money go, to what party? New Years-Christmas???? When does it stop!? Lets get these people out of office that want to tax the you know what out of us!

As a grocery store clerk I see a lot of waste when it comes to plastic and paper bags. There are people who want their bags doubled and sometimes tripled! Some customers want gallons of milk bagged! Why? That is such a waste...not just for the environment's sake, it is an expense to the store, yes that bag may only cost us a penny, but the grocery business is a penny business. At first I was excited about this idea of charging for the bags, thinking it would help us with our bag expense and reduce the number of bags used...but now that I see the government will just be profiting off of something my company purchased and labored for...forget it! They regulate and take enough of our money. For all of you who like to reuse your bags, Albertson's will give you .05/bag refund as well.

The size of the mayor’s “offending” bags is about 18” by 14” by .001”. The plastic sheeting used to make them is very thing. Roughly 2000 layers to the inch. The amount of volume in the garbage taken up by 12,000 of the mayors hated bags would be approximately 1.75 cubic feet. For that he wants us all to pay 12,000 times 20 cents, $2,400!
And what about the extra time we will have to stand in store lines as the clerks have to start figuring out how much extra they should add to each customer’s bill. What are they going to do at the automated check-out stations. The plastic bags are probably the smallest component of our garbage. Getting rid of them will make a miniscul difference. I think this smells more like a tax increase wrapped in green gift paper.

Yes!!!!!! We need it here in Florida too. So what do you know how may plastic bags that I have at how that I can reuse!! I do this on my own all of the time. It would also save some jobs folks. Less cost for the customer. All of those bags wont cost so much. Just save your bags for a year thats all.

Gerg Gerg Gerg when are these people going to get rid of you?

Why are all these people complaining about 0.20 per bag? Are these the same people who don't bother volunteering to clean up neighborhoods and parks that are full of trash, often old plastic bags? I certainly use cloth bags when I can. And if I forget them at home and end up using paper or plastic from the store? Surely I reuse them as garbage can liners. But think of the thousands of people who don't! If you complain about oil prices, you should applaud this initiative to reduce plastic bag use. You do realize plastic bags are made from petroleum, right? And to reply to an earlier post, of course everything we make comes from the earth and eventually returns to it...but in a more toxic, dirty, difficult way. I say whoever has a problem with this and the rest of the environmental movement in Seattle SHOULD leave our beautiful city. Leave it for those of us who still enjoy it and are willing to make the effort to restore it.

This is really smart for the business owners they'll now become billionaires just by the bag you carry your groceries in. The grocery stores already charge for paper or plastic. So this is just another way to steal money from the regular guy. For one some of us don't live in Seattle but we come down there to shop so where's are free bag? Also it's stupid in fact idiotic thinking you can re-use old plastic bag's they get holes in them immediately when you get them home and the paper bags are so thin they rip apart as soon as you get them to your house. Oh by the way it's not just your stupid groceries it'll be all of your shopping item's so it's a bit ridiculous to think you'll just happen to be carrying this stupid bag with you every where you go. Again I EMPHASIZE this is just another way for the rich to profit PROFIT PROFIT!!! People better think about what their letting the rich do to us and if this wasn't true then why is it at are expense ,the bags we get now are on the grocery tab does that mean we'll get are cloth's and groceries for cheeper now? WHAT A LAUGH!

Why is it every time Greg or people of our government want a solution to a problem they always hit the tax payer for more money. The solution to every thing I guess is money money money but only the regular guy's money, that should make you just a little suspicious of their agenda. How come the mayor doesn't seem to be concerned with all the plastic junk manufactured in china? Just think of all those low grade products made over there that fall apart in a year or so then it ends up in a trash heap at the dump. Most every thing made over there is a disposable plastic product just so the people who own the stores can say how their saving the american so much money but in reality you end up buying the same thing over again because it falls apart and or by the time you realized you got ripped off on a product it's too late to take it back to the store which in turn again it ends up in the trash. Beside that look at all the waste in packaging a lot of items just at the hardware store has massive plastic packaging waste way worse than any paper bag or even plastic bag would ever have effected things by us the consumer. I believe most of us are smart enough to re-use are paper bags what about the wealthy corporations that are responsible for manufacturing these things we didn't.

Seriously?
I don't see the big deal in reducing our carbon footprint. I think the point is not to ELIMINATE the plastic bag but rather provide encouragement to utilize a greener option. Just like some people don't recycle... some people will choose to pay for a plastic bag. For those who compost wet waste .. why do you need a plastic bag? I use a paper bag as my recycle bin because it's convenient but if I was getting charged to bring the bag home I would go back to using a box. No big deal, but right now there is no encouragement not to be lazy. We are #6 in the nation for low carbon output. This status is not because of our great efforts but rather because we have the opportunity to capitalize on hydropower. All of these whiners here just don't want to try and make things better. No matter what "politial Hype" you think is out there I don't think anyone can say that using cloth bags or bringing your own plastic or paper bags back to the store to reuse is a bad thing. Stop complaing and lets congratulate those who make the effort.

You know, I think it's really great that they want to minimize the usage of plastic bags. Really it is. But take for instance someone like myself with a family (of four) to feed and make lunches for, say I buy ten of these "green" reusable bags, but I buy enough groceries to fill 12-15 bags...now I have to pay an extra 20 cents per bag that I use even though a majority of the bags being used to haul my groceries home are reusable??!?! Now that's retarded. I appreciate the effort, but it's completely ridiculous. Being just laid off from work, I can't afford that extra expense to be paying for plastic bags. How about using the ideas from the stores? Receive an incentive from the store for your reusable bag usage...

Looks like when it comes time to go shopping, instead of bagging my groceries, I will just be reloading them into the cart same as I did before I paid for them, and letting them roll around in my car free...It will be a pain in the a$$, but at least I won't incur any unnecessary expenses...

Good Edo move; now, let's get those physically challenged fat butt Council Members out of their gas-guzzling vehicles. If you don't fit in a more friendlier car, ride a bike until you can. Oh, and by the way, if you need protection, Seattle PD has officers on bicycles.

Good Eco move; now, let's get those physically- challenged, fat-butt Council Members out of their gas-guzzling vehicles. If you don't fit in a more friendlier car, ride a bike until you can. Oh, and by the way, if you need protection, Seattle PD has officers on bicycles.

In somewhat of a relevant topic, let's sack Greg Nickels (for a $1) and the socialist city of Seattle will make more money.