Localmedium impact · 7/10substantive150373

City Officials Push 5-Cent Fee on Single-Use Plastic Bags to Cut Down on Philly Waste

Official:Amending Title 9 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Regulation of Businesses, Trades and Professions," by adding a new Chapter 9-4100, entitled "Single-Use Bags," to regulate the use of single-use bags and to establish a fee for the consumer use of single-use bags when purchasing food or other products, all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Squilla

Introduced: April 23, 2015

: Committee on Finance

environment

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2012–2015 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill proposes to charge a 5-cent fee on single-use plastic bags provided by retail establishments in Philadelphia, with the goal of reducing waste and promoting reusable bags.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

Imposes a 5-cent fee on consumers for using single-use plastic bags when purchasing food or other products from retail establishments in Philadelphia.
Requires retail establishments to provide recycling containers for customers to deposit plastic bags to be recycled.
Defines key terms, including "Retail Establishment", "Reusable Bag", and "Recycling Container", to clarify the scope of the regulation.
Authorizes the Department of Licenses and Inspections (or a designated agency) to enforce the regulation and oversee the implementation of the single-use bag fee.