Boulder adding a bag fee

Grocery shoppers in Boulder will have to pay a 10-cent fee on paper and plastic bags starting in July under an ordinance approved by the City Council.

The City Council voted 7-0 to approve the measure on a fourth reading Thursday.

The fee will apply to paper and plastic bags at food retailers, including grocery stores, convenience stores and Target. Gas station stores will be exempt if food sales are less than 2 percent of their business.

Retailers will keep 4 cents of the fee to cover their costs of administering the program. The city plans to use the rest of the money to pay for outreach about reusable bags and to distribute free reusable bags to low-income residents.