Suburbs unlikely to follow Chicago's lead on taxing plastic bags
Suburban leaders said Wednesday they aren't likely to follow Chicago's lead by adding a new tax on disposable plastic bags provided by grocery stores and other retailers. But Cook County could.
While some suburban officials said they weren't swayed by the environmental advantages and revenue, the county has been following the city on a number of new taxes and ordinances.
"I hope not, but I have been seeing things that were passed in the city that were later mirrored by the county," said Tim Schneider of Bartlett and a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. "There was the paid sick leave, an increased minimum wage, soda tax and others that were passed by the county after the city did them. I wonder when it's all going to end. These taxes are going to drive people out of the county."
On Wednesday, Chicago approved a 7-cent tax on each plastic bag provided by city retailers. That measure follows the city's ban on plastic bags imposed in August 2015 to help protect the environment from litter. It wasn't clear whether the tax would replace the ban or how much revenue it would generate for the financially strapped city. A city spokeswoman did not immediately respond.
Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod and Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz said their councils have not discussed a plastic bag tax.
"I cannot imagine there would be any support to add any undue burden onto our businesses and residents," said Schwantz.
"A lot of people already bring their own bags when they go shopping," said McLeod.
A new 7-cent tax indicates that the ban on plastic bags didn't work and will, instead, become a revenue generator that hurts the poor, said Jeff Weidauer, vice president of marketing and strategy for Little Rock, Arkansas-based Vestcom, which works with many retailers in the Chicago market.
"Such a tax will have a greater impact on lower-income consumers," said Weidauer. "If they buy four bags of groceries, that's an additional 28 cents they're going to be paying. They're paying the same share as some consumers who aren't even going to notice, and if they're not going to notice, they're going to keep on doing what they did before. So this tax won't even affect their habits."
Also, the environmental impact likely isn't the main reason a tax on plastic bags was imposed, said Weidauer.
"This is more for revenue generating rather than trying to fix the problem," he said.
Bringing bags has become a trend around the suburbs. Abby Goldberg of Grayslake, for example, urged the Lake County Board to have consumers take reusable shopping bags to the grocery store. She convinced board members to approve monthlong programs in April and in September 2015 as Bring Your Own Bag Months.
Many suburban stores are offering consumers a choice, said Meijer spokesman Frank J. Guglielmi. Meijer stores are in Rolling Meadows, Bloomingdale, Round Lake Beach, Elgin, Algonquin, St. Charles and Aurora.
"We offer plastic, paper and we sell reusable bags at a very low price, at just about cost, so that our customers can use what they want," said Guglielmi.