FERGUSON TOWNSHIP, CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — In Centre County, Ferguson Township is moving forward with an initiative to charge businesses that use plastic bags.

The township supervisors voted 3-1 to create a draft for the ordinance that would charge businesses who use plastic bags.

This comes after a group of local citizens sent out a petition for the fee to Ferguson Township, along with Patton and College Townships, and the State College Borough almost a year ago.

Township staff is working on the draft now, and the supervisors will further discuss the ordinance at a public meeting on July 1.

The hope is that the fee would discourage businesses from using single-use plastic bags. 

Officials say they feel they can model the ordinance after states like California, where they feel it’s been successful.

The Chair of the Township Supervisors tells us the end goal is to have the fee exist in the entire Centre region.

“It’s gonna ultimately have to be a collaborative effort for it to work regionally, and the municipalities are going to have to work together,” said Township Supervisors Chair, Steve Miller. “I see us as just getting things started, and the discussion will follow from that.”

The State College Borough said they plan to work with downtown businesses and measure the impact it would have. If approved in July, an official vote could be made for the fee in Ferguson township at a public hearing in August.

“The ultimate goal is sustainability to reduce the use of plastics that are used once and thrown away…end up in a landfill or a tree somewhere or the ocean…so we’re trying to address that one step at a time,” said Miller.

He says the ordinance could take effect late August or early September of this year, but the township would give customers and businesses time to adjust and learn about the ordinance.

The township says they haven’t had direct feedback from local businesses, but County’s Sustainability Institute is doing a study on the fee.