Get ready to pay for those disposal bags at local stores.

Monday July, 28 the City Council voted to impose a fee on disposable shopping bags to encourage residents to bring their own reusable ones.

A separate ordinance also bans expanded polystyrene food containers.

"These new laws are an integral part of the City?s Zero Waste strategy-- and translating Seattle?s environmental values into concrete actions," said Council President Richard Conlin in a statement released by the city.

"They will help marine life, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and move our City toward a sustainable future."

One part of the measure creates a fee of 20 cents for disposable shopping bags provided at convenience, drug, and grocery store cash registers, beginning on Jan. 1, 2009.

The clear plastic bags used for individual items such as fruits, vegetables, and bulk items will not be subject to the fee.

Seattle Public Utilities estimates 360 million disposable bags are used in the city every year.

The proposal focuses on these stores because they are the source of more than 70 percent of all disposable shopping bags distributed, according to the city.

The fee applies to both paper and plastic and is expected to reduce the use of disposable

bags by more than 50 percent, or at least 184 million bags annually.

"These laws are a great example of how government can help the market to implement necessary environmental change," said council member Tim Burgess.

"I support this particular solution because it maintains the ability of consumers to choose whether to use their own reusable bags, or pay a fee for disposable bags provided by the store. This is a market-driven strategy to protect the environment."

In response to citizen concerns, the council amended the legislation to direct Seattle Public Utilities to help seniors and low-income households by distributing free reusable bags and working with food banks, people using food stamps, and shoppers receiving other forms of direct assistance.

The bag fee legislation helps businesses defray the cost of administering the program by allowing larger retailers to keep 5 cents of every bag to cover administrative costs. Small businesses, those grossing less than $1 million annually, will be allowed to keep

the entire 20-cent fee.

Some of the funds generated will be used to offset a portion of the needed solid waste rate increase associated with new garbage contracts. Part of the funds collected will also go to support Seattle Public Utilities' waste prevention and recycling programs.

City leaders say by preventing the manufacture of this number of bags each year, Seattle will cut greenhouse gas production by nearly 112,000 tons over a 30-year period. A similar fee in Ireland achieved a 90 percent reduction in use from 325 to 23 bags per person per year.

Another part of the new proposal will ban expanded polystyrene food containers from restaurants and packaging from grocery stores. In July of 2010, foam trays for raw meat and seafood will also be banned and replaced with compostable alternatives.

Expanded polystyrene foam not only adds to the waste stream, but also presents a hazard for birds because it breaks up into indigestible pellets.