Business & Tech
Wilmington Could Become 62nd Mass Town To Ban Plastic Bags
The proposed new rules will be considered at Town Meeting on May 5.
WILMINGTON, MA -- Wilmington may become the next town in an ever-increasing list of Massachusetts communities that have banned business from giving customers plastic shopping bags. Julianne Hooper, a Wilmington resident, was successful in her petition of selectmen to add the article to the town meeting warrant. If passed by town meeting, businesses would not be allowed to give out plastic bags and could opt to charge customers for paper shopping bags.
The proposed rule in Wilmington includes exceptions for bags used for produce and meat, newspapers, and laundry and dry cleaning. Town Meeting will consider the new rule on May 5 at 10:30 am in the Wilmington high School auditorium.
The goal of such laws is to encourage shoppers to use reusable bags and reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills.Unlike their paper counterparts, plastic shopping bags are not typically accepted in recycling programs, meaning shoppers have to bring them back to the store to get them recycled. As a result, only about 1% to 3% of them are recycled.
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About 100 billion plastic shopping bags are used in the U.S. each year. In recent years, other Massachusetts communities have banned or considered banning plastic shopping bags that are a still a staple at many supermarkets. Other towns have collected taxes on all shopping bags, plastic or otherwise, as a way to provide an incentive for shoppers to bring their own shopping bags.
In the 61 towns that have passed similar proposals, retailers have generally passed the cost on to consumers or started using paper bags while simultaneously encouraging shoppers to use reusable bags. Most towns also write in exemptions for the plastic bags that are used for fresh produce and other perishable goods.
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Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).
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