Boston Bans Plastic Bags/RNN

Boston is a great city.  Fantastic quality of life.  It just got better with the ban on plastic bags.  Nice Christmas present for those of us seeking an elimination of plastic bags.

Boston, the latest major city to ban plastic bags, for some it has been a long time coming.

Boston will begin implementing a citywide plastic bag ban starting Friday in an attempt to reduce litter and curb the environmental harm caused by single-use plastics.

The measure, signed by Boston Mayor Martin Walsh last December, will take effect just before this year’s holiday shopping season.

City Councilor Matthew O’Malley, who represents Boston’s 6th District, said he began working on the ordinance in 2016 and believes it will be “enormously beneficial” to the city.

“If you walk around any given street, you may see a plastic bag that’s caught up in a tree or down in a storm drain,” O’Malley said. “We’re seeing a lot of cities and states, quite frankly, step up in terms of better sustainability and environmental practices, such as implementing some sort of plastic bag ordinance.”

The plastic bag ordinance will solely apply to “checkout bags” used at stores and will not include newspaper bags, produce bags, laundry and dry cleaner bags, or trash bags, the City of Boston website states. Retailers can keep recyclable paper bags, compostable bags and reusable bags in stock and can sell other compliant bags as well.

Inspections will begin Friday for 20,000 square foot and larger retail establishments and on July 1, 2019 for establishments smaller than 10,000 square feet, according to the website.

Bill Rennie, vice president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said the association’s main concern with the plastic bag ban is whether it will increase costs for retailers across the city.

“Plastic bags certainly are less expensive than the alternatives, which you’ll see most people switch to a heavier paper bag,” Rennie said. “There’s, of course, the 5-cent fee that will be added to help offset those bag costs.”

Rennie said there are currently about 90 ordinances across Massachusetts that are similar to the Boston plastic bag ban. He also said, due to the number of similar ordinances, the association would like to see a statewide standard set in place.

“All of these are different from town and town, and that patchwork of ordinances or regulations can be very problematic,” Rennie said. “In general,…MORE

Allan,Zoe.  "Boston plastic bag ban to begin Friday" Retrieved from The Daily Free Press