PORTLAND (AP) — Advocates in Portland who want to see a reduction in single-use plastic and paper grocery bags are favoring a per-bag fee to help shoppers switch to reusable totes, instead.

A group is meeting Monday to review other U.S. communities’ efforts to discourage single-use bags and consider an ordinance in Portland that would assess a 10-cent fee on every paper and plastic bag.

The Portland Press Herald reported (http://bit.ly/19i2vp1) advocates for a fee say it would reduce a common form of litter that often clogs city storm drains and gets into waterways, where it is a hazard to marine life.

Opponents said it would encourage people to shop outside Portland, and that education and recycling are better solutions to the litter problem.

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filed under:
fee, grocery, litter, Maine, paper, plastic, Portland
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