Oak Park's 10-Cent Bag Fee Goes Into Effect Jan. 1

OAK PARK, IL — The New Year will bring a new law for Oak Park residents that might require a slight change in shopping habits. On January 1, the village's new plastic bag fee will take effect, which means stores will charge a 10-cent fee for each disposable bag that a customer uses for their shopping order.

The ordinance was approved as a pilot program by the village board in April and had a voluntary trial run at some shops during the summer. In August, the village board voted unanimously to make the 10-cent per bag fee mandatory for stores that have an area of 5,000 square feet or more.

The hope is that the fee will encourage Oak Parkers to go green by carrying reusable bags when they go shopping, just as many Chicago residents have done after the city imposed a 7-cent tax for paper and plastic bags at retailers.

The funds from Oak Park's bag fee will go right back into keeping the village green by supporting its sustainability programs.

Restaurants and small retailers won't have to impose the bag fee, according to the Oak Park Chamber of Commerce, but consumers are likely to get into the habit of taking their reusable bags with them whenever —and wherever— they go shopping.

>>Image credit: Getty Images/David McNew / Staff