SALISBURY, MD - The Salisbury Mayor’s Office has announced a change to the city’s plastic bag ordinance that requires a $.10 fee on paper bags used at checkout.
Originally, businesses that already provided paper bags to customers for free, such as fast food restaurants, were required under the language of the ordinance to charge customers 10 cents per paper bag provided.
Now, according to the Mayor’s Office, that mandatory $.10 fee will not apply to food service facilities who "package sliced or prepared to order food," prescription drugs provided at pharmacies, or in instances when a paper bag "is an essential part of the packaging" or manufactured with paper packaging.
“We’ve listened to our local businesses -- some of which already provided paper bags to customers at no cost -- which were affected by the all-inclusive nature of the ordinance language,” a spokesperson for Mayor Jack Heath said in a statement. “The Mayor’s Office and City Council have worked together to alleviate the requirement that some businesses charge for paper bags.”
Taylor Dean, a Salisbury shopper, appreciated the change and the city's willingness to be flexible.
"I think it's a good change," Dean said. "I think anything that has a blanket kind of restriction on everything isn't really taking into consideration everyone's needs."
Pharmacies were often unclear on how the fee applied to prescriptions, but now appreciate the clarity the change brings.
"We now feel comfortable that we are making the right decision that they don't have to pay the ten cents for a bag if it's got a prescription item in it, and it just makes it easier for the customers knowing where they stand and I think it's a good move by the city," said Zack Sherr, a Salisbury pharmacist.
The amended language is part of the Comprehensive Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance, or the Shop Green SBY Initiative, aimed at reducing the use of plastic bags within the city. The plastic bag ban took effect July 1st. The Ordinance’s $.10 paper bag fee has been a controversial topic among neighbors since.
More information on the amended ordinance in its entirety can be found here.
