Plastic Bag Ban Introduced Before Boston Common Council

BOSTON, MA — No vote yet on Boston's proposed plastic bag ban, which was introduced Wednesday before the City Council, then be recycled back to committee for further consideration.

The ban, from Councilors Matt O’Malley and Michelle Wu, would ban single-use plastic bags and institute a minimum five-cent fee for those who need to purchase reusable, recyclable or compostable bags at checkout.

O'Malley introduced the bill, stating, "More than ever it is incumbent upon local cities, municipalities and towns to take the lead on initiatives that seek to protect our environment."

As O'Malley noted, a City Councillor last introduced a plastic bag ban in Boston in 2007. That proposal failed, meaning Boston is "late to the party," O'Malley said, as other towns including nearby Cambridge passed bans.

"It is the right thing to do, and it is high time that Boston passes this ordinance," he said.

The five cent fee is good encouragement for shoppers to bring their own reusable bag, O'Malley said, but should not be cost-prohibitive. He disputes detractors' claims that such a fee and introduction of the ban would deter customers from shopping at local business.

"This is hard, and any time we are talking about adding costs to a family's budgets, we have to absolutely do it thoughtfully and deliberately," Wu said, speaking in support of the ordinance.

The proposal will be considered in committee before being taken up for a vote by the full council.

In a statement shared with Patch by email, the American Progressive Bag Alliance urged councilors to reject the measure. Chairman Mark Daniels writes:

“We welcome efforts in Boston to reduce waste and litter, but urge the City to take a comprehensive look at this issue so it can make real progress on its sustainability goals. Banning or taxing 100-percent recyclable, highly reused plastic retail bags – which make up just 0.3 percent of the nation’s U.S. municipal solid waste and 1.2 percent of litter in the Northeast – won’t create any meaningful environmental benefits in Boston, but it will create a number of unintended negative consequences. Bag bans and taxes threaten local manufacturing jobs, push consumers to less environmentally-friendly carryout bags, drive shoppers out of the city and disproportionately hurt low-income families and senior citizens on fixed incomes. We urge the Council to reject the proposed ordinance and welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively on recycling solutions that have already been successful in Massachusetts and across the country."

Read More: Boston Plastic Bag Ordinance: What to Know

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