The West Virginia legislature has proposed a plastic bag tax and a bottle deposit bill.

House Bill 2136 would impose a 5-cent tax on grocery stores, drug stores and convenience stores for each plastic bag given to customers. The tax may not be passed on to customers.

House Bill 2814 would require a 5-cent deposit for beverage bottles manufactured as returnable. The legislature said in order to meet the state’s mandated recycling goal of 50 percent, new opportunities for recycling need to be developed. If passed, the bottle bill would take effect on or after July 1.