Council votes to ban bags
The City Council voted unanimously yesterday to ban single-use plastic shopping bags throughout Boston.
The proposal by Councilor Matt O’Malley bans flimsy plastic bags and requires businesses to charge no less than 5 cents for other types of checkout bags, including reusable bags, compostable plastic bags and recyclable paper bags. Businesses would keep all proceeds from bag fees.
The measure still requires approval from Mayor Martin J. Walsh, who said yesterday he’s still reviewing it.
Walsh opposed a version of the ban last year, saying it would negatively affect small businesses and low-income families.
The American Progressive Bag Alliance, which represents U.S. plastic bag makers, called on Walsh to veto the ordinance, which would take effect a year from its passage and would allow businesses to seek a temporary exemption from the requirement.
The alliance said the ordinance will encourage the use of products that are “worse for the environment” than single-use plastic bags.
The Conservation Law Foundation, which supports the proposal, said more than 350 million single-use plastic bags are used in Boston each year, most of them ending up in landfills or as litter on the streets.
Cambridge, Somerville and Brookline are among 59 communities statewide that have imposed fees or limits on plastic bags.