SINGLE-USE FOODWARE REDUCTION
HB2544 creates the Single-Use Foodware Reduction Act and establishes a new fee structure for disposable food-service items used at retail food establishments in Illinois. The bill imposes a $0.10 fee on each item of single-use foodware used by a customer, requires the fee to be separately stated on the receipt, and makes the customer ultimately responsible for paying it. Retail establishments would keep $0.03 of each fee, remit $0.07 to the Department of Revenue, and the Department would distribute the proceeds among a new state fund and several existing state and local recipients.
The bill also requires food dispensing establishments to provide single-use foodware only upon customer request for delivery and take-out orders, with exceptions for certain safety-related items, vending machines, prepackaged items, charitable food dispensing establishments, and drive-through orders. It defines covered items broadly to include utensils, napkins, condiment packets, cup sleeves, and similar disposable service items, while excluding straws, beverage lids, and packaging used for delivery or take-out containers. The bill amends the State Finance Act to create the Single-Use Foodware Fee Fund in the state treasury and directs portions of the revenue to county or municipal joint action agencies for waste reduction and recycling-related purposes.
HB2544 would add a new regulatory and fiscal framework to Illinois law governing disposable food-service items. It creates a new special fund in the State treasury, directs fee collection and distribution through the Department of Revenue, and incorporates Retailers' Occupation Tax Act administrative provisions and penalty rules where applicable. Counties and municipal joint action agencies receiving revenue would be limited to specified solid-waste, recycling, composting, education, and hazardous-waste programs, with at least 25% directed to hazardous-waste collection and collection centers.
Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to be framed as an environmental and waste-reduction initiative rather than a general tax increase. There is no recorded committee discussion or vote history provided, so no formal legislative sentiment can be inferred from hearings or roll calls. The bill’s structure suggests support for reducing disposable waste and encouraging customer-request models for foodware distribution, but the absence of recorded debate means public or legislative reaction is not documented here.
The main points of potential contention are the new per-item fee, the requirement that customers bear the cost, and the administrative burden on restaurants and other food dispensing establishments to itemize, collect, and remit the charge. Businesses may also object to the restriction on automatically providing utensils and related items for take-out and delivery, while local governments and environmental advocates may favor the revenue dedicated to recycling, composting, and hazardous-waste programs. The bill’s exceptions for drive-throughs, charitable food providers, and safety-related items indicate an attempt to balance environmental goals with operational and public-safety concerns.