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Local Lawmaker Wants 2-Cent Fee On Plastic Shopping Bags

By Mike DeNardo

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Bring your own bag to the store, or pay a two-cent fee for each plastic one you get. That's the idea of one Pennsylvania lawmaker.

State senator Daylin Leach says there are too many plastic bags in landfills. The Montgomery County Democrat is introducing legislation to establish a two-cent fee on each bag given to shoppers.

"When you use a plastic bag to run an errand, the errand usually takes about 30 minutes. The plastic bag can last for about 5,000 years," he said.

Leach says one cent from the fee would fund state recycling programs and the other penny would go to the retailer:

"Not everything we do has to be about our momentary convenience. Every once in a while we have to think big picture and look at how things affect the world around us."

But the bill faces a dim future. A spokesman for the senate majority leader says there are no plans to consider it.

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