Jersey Shore Town Voting On Whether To Start Charging Plastic Bag Fee

LONGPORT, N.J. (CBS) - A New Jersey shore town is scheduled to vote Friday on a plan to reduce the use of plastic shopping bags.

Longport officials are expected to vote on whether businesses will have to charge customers a dime for each plastic bag they use.

Mayor Nick Russo says he wants people to be conscious of their waste:

"The store owners will keep that 10 cents and we will monitor over a period of time how much is collected."

He says customers begin to carry reusable bags, with a goal of keeping the town and marine life, clean and healthy:

"We are surrounded by water on three sides, and what we are trying to do is sensitize the public of the problems of plastic bags in a fragile environment."

Several coastal towns in California already charge for plastic bags, and Russo says other New Jersey towns have expressed interest in the idea too:

"I really think it's going to catch on."

This would make Longport the first town in the state to adopt this green footprint idea.