Allowing baggers to drain public funds by polluting the state and forcing everyone else to clean up after them makes no economic sense. A plastic bag fee will cut clean up costs and better align expenses with costs. Good job, Senator Eldridge. Globe:
Come August of 2018 in Massachusetts, you may rarely hear the question “Paper or plastic?”
The Senate Thursday was poised to pass an almost $40 billion budget bill that included a provision banning single-use carryout bags at all retail establishments that are 3,000 square feet or larger, or have at least three locations in the state. The bag push, adopted by a bipartisan vote, is meant to make the state more environmentally friendly and was cheered by green advocates.
But it drew an immediate rebuke from local retail groups, which worry it will erode consumer choice at perhaps 20,000 retail locations and hurt mom-and-pop stores in their battle with online merchants for customers.
And Governor Charlie Baker telegraphed significant worry through a spokesman.
The administration, said Baker senior adviser Tim Buckley, “has serious concerns about enacting such a sweeping mandate through the budget process with little to no debate, especially due to the potential impacts on low-income families’ grocery bills, and retailers across Massachusetts.”
The budget provision, which faces major hurdles before it could become law, would allow stores to make a reusable grocery bag or recycled paper bag available for purchase at the point of sale, but retailers would have to charge at least 10 cents per bag.
Senator James B. Eldridge of Acton, a lead backer of the effort, said more than 30 of the state’s 351 cities and towns have already approved plastic bag bans. They include large cities like Cambridge and Newton and small towns like Truro and Lee.
Eldridge said plastic bags are harming sea creatures and wildlife, and littering Massachusetts’ landscape. He said the proposal is sensitive to small businesses because it exempts all retail stores under 3,000 square feet, unless they are part of a chain. And it’s sensitive to consumers, he asserted, because it allows plastic produce bags and dry-cleaning bags.
Plastic bags, he said, are “something that we really don’t need, given that there are alternatives like a reusable bag or a paper bag.”
that Massachusetts would not be the first to ban single-use plastic bags, as this bill would. San Francisco enacted such a ban back in 2007, and other cities (e.g. Seattle) and entire states (California) have followed suit. (As have 30 Massachusetts cites and towns, as Sen. Eldridge notes). Numerous cities in other countries, including England, have enacted similar laws.
And yet there are still retailers operating in these jurisdictions, in spite of the Chicken Little protestations to the contrary.
I remember when paper was the norm, and we covered our school textbooks with them.
For users, they’re easier because the handles are stronger.
For users, they’re better in the rain.
For stores, they take up far, far less space.
For stores, they’re significantly cheaper on a per/bag basis.
I voted for the plastic bag ban in my town, and used to live in a country where the fee was closer to $0.50 per plastic bag. I’m no fan of the plastic bag; just trying to give some context for another viewpoint.
when plastic bags were first introduced, many people were creatures of habit, so they wanted to continue to use paper. Many grocery retailers charged a fee if you wanted paper and provided plastic at no cost.
I’m for an outright ban of plastic, I don’t want to add a fee. if paper is more expensive then it will just need to go towards the overhead and cost of goods.
When first introduced, I remember claims that the plastic bags degraded more quickly were more friendly for the environment than paper bags.
I won’t name names, but it was stores we’ve all heard of.
Seems to me that if I want to offer that to customers for free I should be allowed to as a merchant. I’m on board with banning plastic, but not with the nickel and diming.
Nudging works, and of all the tools to get an outcome, it’s far less intrusive or costly or limiting than most.
When a store gives you a “free” plastic bag, that bag once used becomes trash, and toxic trash at that. Disposing of it properly is costly and that cost is assumed by the general public. If a merchant wants to save a few cents and the customer wants to save a few cents, they go the plastic bag route. So….who then pays the few cents to get rid of the toxic nature of that bag? You, me, and the rest of us.
It is high time we banned plastic bags. Food markets are doing a nice job of offering reusable bags. Their next step (and one that I am involved with at the moment) is offering reusable produce bags instead of the ones on the roll that we grab to fill with green beans, apples, and other loose produce.
My bet is that this provision will be among the first to go during conference. It’s not going to be popular in a number of districts, it hasn’t had a full public debate at the state level, and it’s just not a priority when compared to some other differences in the bills.
Again, just my guess — I have no insider knowledge. But methinks we’ll wait until at least 2018 to get state-wide legislation on plastic bags.
at Market Basket in Reading where I shop. It wasn’t so painful after all. It makes me feel good about helping the environment and I finally got rid of all those plastic bags piling up in my kitchen closet 🙂
Fred Rich LaRiccia
We switched to totes in Chicago, which doesn’t have a ban, and I carried the habit with me to Salem. The Marker Basket reusable bags are far sturdier than plastic and have a cool stylish retro DeMoulas logo. I like collecting Trader Joes ones for different places I visit, and they were incredibly helpful moving wedding decorations back and forth last weekend during a very frantic time. Definitely a fan of the ban!