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Paper or plastic? You may pay 20 cents either way

April 3, 2008

Some plastic, foam containers would be banned under proposal by mayor, council president

Seattle could trump even the greenest of American cities with fines on foam and taxes on bags -- both paper and plastic, city politicians say.

Seattle would impose a 20-cent-per-bag "green fee" and outlaw foam food containers next year under a proposal announced Wednesday. Aiming to persuade Seattleites to ditch disposable bags, the city hopes to send a free reusable bag to every Seattle household, Mayor Greg Nickels said.

"No other city has done what we're suggesting here," Nickels said. "These actions will take tons of plastic and foam out of our waste stream. ... The best way to handle a ton of waste is not to create it in the first place."

Continue reading this article from the Seattle P-I: Paper or plastic? You may pay 20 cents either way