ConservingNow Community Change

Store owners and city residents united Tuesday against a proposed 25-cent surcharge on plastic and paper bags used in Baltimore, saying the plan would burden small businesses and city residents struggling through difficult economic times.

"It would put us in the position of being the bad cop," said Melvin Thompson of the Restaurant Association of Maryland. "We'd be nickel-and-diming our customers for a service that we used to provide free of charge."

Thompson and other business owners and residents gathered for a City Council hearing on an initiative that would make Baltimore's fees for plastic bags among the costliest in the nation. While proponents of the measure say it would reduce litter in the Inner Harbor and other parts of the city, merchants say passing on additional costs would sour customer relations and drive shoppers across city lines.

Under the proposal, stores would be responsible for collecting a 25-cent surcharge on each bag a customer needs to carry purchased items. Stores would be required to file monthly reports listing all transactions where the surcharge was imposed.

Read more here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.plasticb...

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/features/mutts/blog/2009/06/in_plastic_b...

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bal-bagspreview0617,0...