Framingham to Ban Stores from Providing Plastic Bags

FRAMINGHAM, MA - Members of the Town Meeting passed an article that was presented which will ban stores from giving out thin-film plastic bags in most cases.

The ban will be effective Jan. 1, 2018 and the stores will be restricted from distributing the bags at the point of checkout. The ban strictly applies to bags with a thickness less than or equal to 2.5 mils, a unit of measurement equal to one thousandth of an inch, Wicked Local reported.

Stores will also be allowed to provide thin film plastic bags for dry cleaning, newspapers, produce, meat, bulk foods, wet items and other similar merchandise, Wicked Local reported.

Some thin-film plastic bags will be permitted for specific items such as produce, meat, newspapers and similar items.

The bags cause environmental problems when animals try to eat them or get caught in them when they are improperly disposed of, as many of them are.

Framingham is now in the company of Cambridge, Brookline and Newton, which have also shown support of the ban.