TOWSON, MD—The Baltimore County Council voted on Monday to pass a bill that will ban plastic bags in the county.

The “Bring Your Own Bag Act” calls for some retailers, including grocery stores, to stop providing plastic bags to customers.

WBAL reports that an amendment to the bill reduces the fee charged for paper or reusable bags from $0.10 to $0.05.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the vote was 5 – 2, with Republican councilman Todd Crandell and Democratic chairman Julian Jones Jr. casting the dissenting votes.

Councilmen Mike Ertel and Izzy Patoka, Democrats who represent Towson and Pikesville, and David Marks, a Republican who represents Perry Hall, White Marsh, Kingsville, and Middle River, introduced the bill in January.

“I don’t think that I’ve ever seen on my 8-plus years on the council a more convoluted piece of legislation,” Councilman Crandell told WBAL-TV 11. “In fact, so convoluted that it needed 10 amendments in an attempt to get it right and all that we’re going to do is establish a tax on consumers across Baltimore County.”

The NottinghamMD.com readers who voted in our poll here were largely opposed to the measure.

The ban will take effect later this year.

Read more: POLL: Should Baltimore County ban plastic bags?

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