Selectmen show support for plastic bag reduction plan
By Mike BergerSelectmen have come out in support of a town meeting article calling for the elimination of thin film plastic bags at retail. Still acceptable to be used are plastic bags for dry cleaning and for the sale of ice, fish, and newspapers.
If accepted by town meeting voters, the ban would take effect six months from the vote or when it is accepted by the state attorney general. To date, 91 communities in Massachusetts have approved a similar ban.
The article was presented to selectmen at Tuesday night’s meeting by Christine Smith of the grassroots organization Canton Residents: Toward an Equitable, Sustainable Future (formerly No Canton Gas Pipeline).
Smith advocated for the elimination of plastic check-out bags and more frequent use of reusable shopping bags and special recyclable paper bags.
In summary, she said plastic check-out bags create more litter; release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; clog storm drains, which leads to flooding; and jams recycling machinery at refuse companies. Smith said it costs more to recycle a plastic bag than to make a new one and plastic bags need 500 to 1,000 years to break down and are never fully biodegradable.
She added that reusable shopping bags are inexpensive, are used repeatedly, are safe to animals, and are made of recycled fibers. Further, she said reusable bags save retailers money, do not create litter or end up in landfills, and do not pollute waterways.
Under the proposed plastic bag ban, retail establishments that do not comply would face a $50 fine for a first offense, $100 for a second offense, and $200 for a third or subsequent offense …
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Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=52561
Posted by Mike Berger
on Mar 8 2019. Filed under News, Town Government.
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