Originally published Monday, September 15, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Seattle grocery-bag fee to go to citizen vote

The 20-cent bag fee for paper and plastic bags in Seattle will not take effect on Jan. 1, 2009. A referendum campaign to hold a citywide election on the fee has collected enough signatures to place the issue on the ballot next year.

By Sharon Pian Chan

Seattle Times staff reporter

The 20-cent bag fee for paper and plastic bags in Seattle will not take effect on Jan. 1. A referendum campaign to hold a citywide election on the fee has collected enough signatures to place the issue on the ballot next year.

The King County elections division verified today that the Coalition to Stop the Seattle Bag Tax collected 15,099 valid signatures. The minimum number of signatures required was about 14,000.

The coalition was funded by independent grocery stores and the plastics industry.

Unless City Council decides to hold a special election earlier, Seattle voters will reject or ratify the issue in the August primary next year.

The bag fee would apply to disposable plastic and paper grocery bags at grocery, drug and convenience stores. It was proposed by Mayor Greg Nickels and approved by the City Council in order to reduce trash.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com

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