Jonetta Rose Barras: Bagging the bag

By Jonetta Rose Barras Examiner Columnist The District law imposing a 5-cent tax on nonrecyclable bags from supermarkets and retail businesses took effect Jan. 1. But already politicians are making exceptions — just not for consumers.

D.C. Council members, this week, gave final approval to a 90-day waiver for businesses that claimed to have too many nonrecyclable bags to simply dump them. Such businesses won’t be fined for violating the law; but customers who visit those establishments sans sack will be slapped with the 5-cent fee.