CITY TRASHES PLASTIC BAGS
Ban begins next month
The next time you shop or order take-out in Boston, you might not hear “paper or plastic.”
That’s because the the city will enact a plastic bag ban effective one month from today, on Dec. 14 — just in time for the holiday shopping season.
Businesses will no longer hand out the single-use plastic bags shoppers have grown accustomed to. Instead, shoppers would need to bring their own bags or pay a minimum of 5 cents for the store’s reusable bags.
“It’s a cultural shift because we’re so used to not bringing bags in to shop,” said William Christopher Jr., commissioner of the city’s Inspectional Services, whose department would oversee the implementation and enforcement of the ordinance.
City councilors and the Walsh administration say the scourge of plastic bags “contribute to a significant burden” on the city’s solid waste and recycling systems, adverse impacts on the environment, and makes them susceptible to landing in streets, gutters and trees throughout Boston.
Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, called the ban on single-use plastic bags “unfortunate and not pro-consumer.”
“I get it though. There are some advocates who don’t like plastic,” Hurst said. The conversation among retailers, Hurst said, has “changed from opposition to mitigation of harm for sellers and customers . ... There needs to be a statewide law for con- sistency.”
Over the summer, state legislators nixed plans for such a law on single-use plastic bags.
The city’s plastic bag ban will immediately affect businesses with more than 20,000 square feet; By April 1, 2019, establishments with 10,000 square feet or more would have to follow the ordinance; and by July 1, 2019, all businesses would need to comply.
“The strategy is to go to the big stores, which hand out most of these plastic bags, and slowly work our way down to all businesses,” said Christopher, adding the city will launch an ad campaign next week to get out the word.
“We’re attending community meetings for any civic association groups that will have us,” he said. “There’s two purposes: One, to exchange information. Second, we’re handing out reusable bags to the elderly and low-income to help green our city without creating a burden.”
Not every type of plastic bag is prohibited; bags used by dry cleaners and those used to pack meats, produce, frozen foods and newspapers are exempt.
In Chinatown, where mar- kets and restaurants have a large presence in the neighborhood, residents and businesses say the ban is an inconvenience.
“They have similar ordinances in China, so they’re in the know. It’s just a learning curve to get use to,” said Courtney Ho, executive director of the nonprofit Chinatown Main Street. Her organization is coordinating with the city to inform residents, mostly elderly, and businesses of the new ordinance.