New shopping law in Roanoke could cost if you don't comply - WSET

ROANOKE, Va. (WSET) — A new law going into effect Saturday will change the way you shop in Roanoke. The change will impact the way you check out.

Roanoke will now implement a plastic bag tax. The City Council voted on it in May.

“We're hoping to see some behavior change and really help eliminate some of that litter," said Nell Boyle, Roanoke's sustainability and outreach coordinator.

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Starting Saturday, folks will be charged $0.05 per plastic bag. That impacts grocery, convenience and drug stores. Roanoke is the first city in the state to implement a plastic bag ban.

Roanoke Co+Op is a local store leading the charge in reducing and eliminating plastic. They eliminated plastic bags back in 2019. Managers state they rarely have run into issues with people bringing their own bags or using paper ones, and support the cities change.

"We're really happy. We think it’s a great way to eliminate a stream of bags going out the store you’ll definitely see a recurring effect down the line," said John Bryant the marketing manager.

The city hopes the new law will just push people to do the right thing, over having to pay. They plan to put the tax revenue back into environmental projects and cleanup.

“We don’t want the revenue from this. We hope nobody ever pays the tax. We really just want to eliminate those plastic bags," Boyle said.

As for places like Walmart with self-checkout, a spokesperson said you just input the number of bags you use.

The tax is specifically for stores within city limits.

source: https://wset.com/news/local/new-shopping-law-in-roanoke-could-cost-if-you-dont-comply

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