Congratulations to those progressive and enlightened communities that have taken steps to REDUCE their municipal waste and reduce their municipal costs.
Vested interests have prevented a state-wide ban.
Provincetown officially bags plastic bags
Single-use plastic bags no longer welcome at the Cape's tip
Single-use plastic bags are no longer welcome in Provincetown. As of yesterday, April 15, the town banned the distribution and sale of such bags. The residents of Provincetown were the first on Cape Cod to ban single-use plastic bags. A vote in favor of the ban in the form of an amendment to the town's general bylaws occurred at the October 14 Special Town Meeting and on January 26, 2015, the Massachustts Attorney General made it official.
The new section of the Provinctown General Bylaws, 13-6, is the Provincetown Single-Use Plastic Bag Reduction Bylaw. Under 13.6, the use of such bags is no longer allowed in the retail sector. This includes bags must commonly used by stores and restaurants to pack and transport goods. Plastic bags with a maximum size of 11" x 7 " and without handles are exempt. The exemption extends to bags used to transport produce, bulk foods, candy, meat from a store department to the register, newspaper bags, dry-cleaning bags and the like.
In place of single-use plastic bags, the town advocates and encourages the use of reusable bags made of cloth or durable plastic of a thickness greater than 1.5 mils.
As of April 15, single-use plastic bags may not be used or sold in town. By April 15, retail establishments should have used or phased out their existing stock. Remaining stock must be properly disposed off or returned to the manufacturer, according to 13-6.
The plastic bag bylaw may be enforced by a Provincetown police officer, enforcement officer or agent of the town Board of Health or Licensing Department. Businesses that violate the new bylaw may be subject to fines of $50 for the first offense, $100 for the second offense and $200 for each subsequent offense.
The bylaw was initially suggested to lessen the impact single-use bags have on the environment, Provincetown as a coastal community and disposal via solid waste collection and recycling.
Complete information about the bylaw is available in the public notice here.
Falmouth was the second town on Cape Cod to ban plastic bags, doing so at their town meeting last November. Only nine towns in Massachusetts ban single-use plastic bags. Nantucket was the first town in the commonwealth to do so in 1990.
Wellfleet could be the next Cape Cod town to ban the single-use plastic bag. Article 31 of the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting on Monday, April 27 is the "Wellfleet Plastic Shopping Bag Reduction Bylaw". Should the amendment pass, Wellfleet will look to phase out use of the bags by January 1, 2016.
According to the Massachusetts Ban Plastic Bags website, only 5.2% of plastic bags are recycled.
The new section of the Provinctown General Bylaws, 13-6, is the Provincetown Single-Use Plastic Bag Reduction Bylaw. Under 13.6, the use of such bags is no longer allowed in the retail sector. This includes bags must commonly used by stores and restaurants to pack and transport goods. Plastic bags with a maximum size of 11" x 7 " and without handles are exempt. The exemption extends to bags used to transport produce, bulk foods, candy, meat from a store department to the register, newspaper bags, dry-cleaning bags and the like.
In place of single-use plastic bags, the town advocates and encourages the use of reusable bags made of cloth or durable plastic of a thickness greater than 1.5 mils.
As of April 15, single-use plastic bags may not be used or sold in town. By April 15, retail establishments should have used or phased out their existing stock. Remaining stock must be properly disposed off or returned to the manufacturer, according to 13-6.
The plastic bag bylaw may be enforced by a Provincetown police officer, enforcement officer or agent of the town Board of Health or Licensing Department. Businesses that violate the new bylaw may be subject to fines of $50 for the first offense, $100 for the second offense and $200 for each subsequent offense.
The bylaw was initially suggested to lessen the impact single-use bags have on the environment, Provincetown as a coastal community and disposal via solid waste collection and recycling.
Complete information about the bylaw is available in the public notice here.
Falmouth was the second town on Cape Cod to ban plastic bags, doing so at their town meeting last November. Only nine towns in Massachusetts ban single-use plastic bags. Nantucket was the first town in the commonwealth to do so in 1990.
Wellfleet could be the next Cape Cod town to ban the single-use plastic bag. Article 31 of the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting on Monday, April 27 is the "Wellfleet Plastic Shopping Bag Reduction Bylaw". Should the amendment pass, Wellfleet will look to phase out use of the bags by January 1, 2016.
According to the Massachusetts Ban Plastic Bags website, only 5.2% of plastic bags are recycled.
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