Single-Use Bag Tax Of 10 Cents Begins Jan. 1 In Northbrook: Village

NORTHBROOK, IL — Make sure to have a cloth bag or two when you visit a Northbrook grocery store next year. Effective Jan. 1, 2024, Village code will require all retail stores of 3,000 square feet or more to charge customers 10 cents for each single-use paper or plastic bag provided at the checkout counter.

The tax ordinance, recommended by the Northbrook Sustainability Commission, was approved by the Village Board. Officials said the program is "intended to encourage customers to bring their own shopping bags to avoid taking a single-use, disposable bag that may end up as litter."

Northbrook's Climate Action Plan first recommended the ordinance, stating that research finds such initiatives "work to encourage reusable bag usage and reduce stray litter in a community." The ordinance includes both paper and plastic bags.

Here is a list of things to know from the Village of Northbrook website:

• Retail stores of 3,000 square feet or greater are required to charge ten cents ($0.10) per carryout bag. This is around 50 retailers in Northbrook.
• Shoppers can avoid the bag tax by bringing their own bags.
• The bag tax does not apply to some bags such as those used to package bulk items, produce, or for prescription drugs provided at a pharmacy.
• Participants in state and federal Food Assistance Programs will not be charged for single-use bags.
• Charges for bags must be displayed separately on customer receipts.
• Portions of the bag tax are kept by the store to cover the cost of implementing the program and by the Village to address the impacts of single-use products in our community, including the distribution of reusable bags.

Find more Frequently Asked Questions about the ordinance here.