SEATTLE -- A Seattle City Council committee is considering a ban on certain Styrofoam products and a fee on disposable shopping bags at all drug, convenience and grocery stores, according to KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

The Environment Committee is holding a Tuesday night hearing on the proposal that aims to reduce litter and greenhouse gas emissions. People are also invited to City Hall at 7:00 p.m. to voice their opinions.

If approved, the city would impose a 20-cent fee for disposable shopping bags, starting next year. It would apply to paper or plastic bags.

SURVEY: Support Plastic Bag Fee?

The city defines disposable shopping bags as, "a bag of any material, commonly kraft paper or plastic film, designed for one-time use to carry customer purchases from a store," in the proposed bill.

Exceptions include bags used inside stores to package items such as fruits or vegetables. Also, meat, fish, frozen foods, potted plants or other items where dampness may be a problem are also exceptions.

Under the umbrella of a drug store, city officials defined food and health supplement stores as well as pharmacies. They also defined gas stations underneath the convenience store heading and said that supercenters, warehouse clubs and supermarkets fall under the grocery store classification.

Click here and search council bill number # 116251 for the original copy of the proposed bill

The city of Seattle's solid waste system is hoping that this green fee acts as an economic incentive to use reusable shopping bags.

The city's primary purpose is waste reduction and disposable shopping bags create burdens on the city's solid waste disposable system, according to city officials.

Seattle has become a National leader among cities in green house gas reductions and seeks to further that effort through this new tax on disposable shopping bags, city officials said.

City revenue generated from the green fee on disposable plastic bags will be deposited in the solid waste fund and used to support solid waste prevention and recycling programs.