(a) Beginning April 22, 2024 (Earth Day), retail establishments may only provide a customer a gift bag, compliant paper checkout bag or a compliant reusable checkout bag at the point of sale. The retail establishment shall be required to charge a customer a fee for each compliant paper checkout bag in the amount of not less than ten cents ($0.10) per compliant paper checkout bag, or such other amount as the Borough Council may approve by resolution from time to time. At any time, a retail establishment may require or remove a fee that is higher than that which the Borough put in place.
(b) To the extent a fee resolution for compliant paper checkout bags and/or compliant reusable checkout bags is approved by the Borough Council, all monies collected by a retail establishment under this Section for provision of a compliant paper checkout bag or compliant reusable checkout bag shall be retained by the retail establishment.
(c) Nothing in this chapter shall prevent a retail establishment from also engaging in any of the following encouraged activities:
(1) Hosting a reusable bag exchange within the retail establishment, e.g., give-a-bag/take-a-bag resource.
(2) Offering customers a refund in the amount of the retail establishment's choice for bringing their own checkout bag or container, unless regulated by other food safety standards, e.g., reusable bag, cup, jar, bulk beverage/food container.
(Ord. 4-2023. Passed 6-12-23; Ord. 3-2024. Passed 3-11-24)