News

Sep 18, 2023

Northbrook retailers will see 10 cent bag tax on Jan. 1, 2024

On Jan. 1, 2024, a 10 cent single-use bag tax goes into effect for more than 50

On Jan. 1, 2024, a 10 cent single-use bag tax goes into effect for more than 50 Northbrook retailers, impacting how they do business.

"It was quite a surprise," said Jeff Sibley of Burlington, Wisconsin, manager of Red's Garden Center and Fireplace Logs, Inc. in Northbrook.

Jeff Sibley of Burlington, Wisconsin, manager of Red's Garden Center and Fireplace Logs, Inc. in Northbrook, puts back paper bags. Taken at Red's Garden Center and Fireplace Logs, Inc. on Feb. 17, 2023. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)

"We put it in front of our team and we are trying to come up with the best solution how to implement that and make it simple and easy.

"We don't know how we’re going to do that yet.

"Tracking it is going to be difficult," Sibley said. "I am worried about trying to track it."

The dime bag tax ordinance easily passed on Feb. 7 by Northbrook village trustees.

Five cents of the tax stay with collecting businesses. The other half goes into a new village sustainability fund created for waste reduction local outreach. The bag tax was set to take effect Sept. 1 but trustees opted for New Year's Day.

"We’re glad that the village is allowing ample time for local businesses and shoppers to become educated about the new bag ordinance," said Kathleen Quinn, Northbrook Chamber of Commerce and Industry executive director.

"The chamber will be actively involved in helping to spread the word to make the eventual transition as smooth as possible for everyone."

Leaving with a Walgreens plastic bag on Feb. 17, 2023 at the Walgreens store in Northbrook at 1050 N. Waukegan Road. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)

In September 2021, trustees prioritized single-use bag reduction for Northbrook's Climate Action Plan (CAP).

Northbrook Village President Kathryn L. Ciesla said, "We’ve seen a move toward reusable bags, in fact, many of our local retailers have stores in states and towns with a single-use bag tax in place for quite some time.

"After receiving tremendous interest from Northbrook residents, the village board asked our citizen Sustainability Commission to study the issue and provide us with a recommendation.

"In the end, their support was overwhelmingly positive," Ciesla also said to Pioneer Press.

"We hope that we don't collect a penny from the tax, rather we hope it will be the reminder for people to change their habits for the better, which is what has happened in other communities."

The bag tax impacts Northbrook retailers with square footage of 3,000 feet or greater. The village designated 52 as "covered" businesses.

"I do applaud this," said Village Trustee Heather E. Ross, chair of the board's Community & Sustainability Committee. "This is really exciting."

Batavia, Edwardsville, Evanston, Oak Park and Woodstock have single-use bag ordinances.

Glenview has no similar bag tax and, "has not been considered to this point," said David Just, the Village of Glenview's community engagement manager.

Mary Munday of Glenview, co-founder of Greener Glenview, an affiliate of Go Green Illinois, said, "We support efforts to reduce consumption of single-use plastics since they cannot be recycled."

Ron Bernardi, store ambassador at Northbrook Sunset Foods, loads an order for a customer outside of the Northbrook Sunset Foods store on Feb. 17, 2023. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)

Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA), told Pioneer Press, "While we’re disappointed that it (ordinance) passed, we’re at least glad that they recognized the burden on the retailer in terms of sharing the fee.

"Some municipalities around the nation give the retailer all of it (100 % of bag tax proceeds, no 50/50 split)," Karr said.

"We’ve seen significant abuses by the handful of other municipalities that have enacted this as it relates to the audit process, so we’re hopeful that those abuses don't manifest themselves in Northbrook," Karr said.

"It's mixed feelings."

Tax exemptions include bags containing pharmacist dispensed prescriptions.

Yard and pet waste bags are exempt plus single-use bags for seasonal events including yard sales or farmers markets. Packaged carryout food bags are exempt.

Kristin Tetreault, chief communications officer with Dollar Tree, said the downtown Northbrook Dollar Tree will tax single-use bags, "with the exception of customers paying with SNAP, EBT or TANF benefits, as required by the ordinance."

Cannabis outlets such as Curaleaf, among the 52 covered businesses, will not be bag taxed due to a potential discrepancy with state and local laws.

Grocer Sunset Foods, renowned for its paper bags with dual handles, sells reusable and washable bags.

But, "The paper bag, with the handles, it's an institution, the Sunset paper bag," said Sarah Hanlon, Sunset Foods director of marketing.

"Part of the history is, everyone's got that stack under their sink or in their garage of the paper bag.

Center, Sarah Beyne of Northbrook, customer, is at the checkout lane with cashier Charlie Corrigan, Northbrook Sunset Foods store director. On left is Phil Fiskow of Northbrook, the store's acting front end manager, bagging Beyne's groceries at Northbrook Sunset Foods on Feb. 17, 2023. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)

"We know that to transition our customers to a reusable bag and to a sustainable program, we have to still provide an exceptional bag and an exceptional experience, so that's part of our hurdle, is how to do it well," Hanlon said.

Sunset Foods has locations in Long Grove, Libertyville, Lake Forest and Highland Park plus Glencoe and Winnetka (The Grand Food Center). Northbrook is the first municipality requiring a bag tax at Sunset Foods stores.

"The timing actually works out very well for us," Hanlon said, adding the grocer has been, "working on a sustainability initiative for Sunset Foods already and looking at how we can eliminate the usage of paper and plastic.

"We really understand what the Northbrook village is trying to accomplish."

Northbrook customer Sarah Beyne's recent Sunset Foods order was packed in paper and plastic bags.

About the bag tax coming to Sunset Foods, "I’m not excited because I use all my bags for recycling," Beyne said.

"Recycling goes into my bags and all of it goes to the recycling center."

Jeff Sibley of Burlington, Wisconsin, manager of Red's Garden Center and Fireplace Logs, Inc. in Northbrook, said about the coming bag tax, "It was quite a surprise. I did some research, and yes, that is the case." Taken at Red's Garden Center and Fireplace Logs, Inc. on Feb. 17, 2023. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)

At Red's Garden Center, inventory includes seasonal plantings, specialty foods and goods promoting healthy, sustainable lifestyles. Higher grade embossed paper bags are offered to customers to present gifts purchased from Red's.

Red's buys into making the, "Earth a greener place," Sibley said.

"It aligns with what we’re about.

"What do flowers bring? They bring peace and joy to everybody.

But a mandatory green tax on bags is, "a tough one," Sibley said.

Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.