Edina is weighing a fee for single-use bags, but surveys and focus groups have shown residents and businesses are wary of the change.
Edina shop owners worry proposed bag fee is 'tacky'
The 5-cent fee would aim to cut down on trash.
June 15, 2023 at 7:32PM
The city used an online survey and in-person meetings over the last few months to gather residents' thoughts on the proposal. The Energy and Environment Commission received the results this month.
About 200 residents who responded to the online survey were split on the idea.
Many of Edina's larger businesses with Minneapolis outposts are already accustomed to bag fees. Minneapolis began requiring businesses to charge a five-cent fee for paper and plastic bags in 2020.
But small businesses in Edina — particularly upscale businesses — were aghast at the idea of charging their customers a nickel for a bag.
"Super embarrassing to charge for a bag when a customer is making a $500 jeans purchase. We are not a grocery store," one anonymized survey respondent wrote, according to a city presentation.
"We take pride in being generous with our customers, and this seems tacky, chintzy," another wrote.
The bag fee is meant to cut down on the volume of trash in Edina, but several residents suggested weekly recycling pickup would make a bigger dent.
