Seattle, Washington residents apparently have voted down a 20-cent fee for paper and plastic bags, according to an Associated Press story that said about half of the mail-in votes had been counted late Tuesday night.
The vote was conducted about a year after the city council approved the 20-cent fee for bags distributed by supermarkets, drug stores and convenience stores. The plastic bag industry reportedly financed a petition drive to have the issue brought before voters in a referendum.
The New York Times reported that the industry then spent $1.4 million in advertising against the fee in the weeks leading up to the vote.
With half the votes counted, the AP reported 58% against the fee and 42% for it.
If the initiative failed in an eco-conscious city like Seattle, it’s likely to be years–or even decades–before fees or outright bans of one-use bags catch on across the country.
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