Plymouth Mulls Concerns Over Impact of Single-Use Plastics

Following on the heels of single-use plastic bag bans in Philadelphia and considerations for similar bans in neighboring Ambler and West Norriton Township, the Plymouth Township Council is contemplating barring the use of non-recyclable bags commonly given to customers at stores and takeout restaurants.

Currently, the Plymouth Township Council is studying this issue and gathering input from residents. No immediate action is planned.

It is too early to determine if or when the governing body could potentially act to ban single-use plastic bags, which are commonly used for point-of-sale purchases. A ban would not affect bags used elsewhere in grocery stores, including in the produce department, or the sale of plastic bags such as garbage and sandwich bags.

The Council heard a presentation from Bill Sabey of the township’s environmental advisory board during the July workshop meeting. Council members expressed support but noted that more work was needed before action could be taken.

Council Chairman Christopher Manero cited several other environmentally-conscious changes that, at first, were not widely accepted – such as recycling and in-public smoking prohibitions – but have since become second nature.

“It’s the next step,” Manero said. “It’s so simple once we get used to it.”

For Manero, the only concern is that many plastic bag bans have been undertaken on a statewide level, including New Jersey’s recent ban, as well as California, New York and eight other states. Restricting plastic bags in one community when they are permitted in neighboring municipalities could be challenging, he added.

Sabey emphasized his commitment to the cause and said he will “work with neighbors” to encourage them to also enact similar regulations.

“The public interest is to reduce and eliminate single-use plastics as much as possible,” Sabey said.

Other Montgomery County municipalities agree. More than a dozen communities, including Cheltenham, Ambler, Whitemarsh and West Norriton are either researching, drafting, or readying an ordinance, according to Faran Savitz of PennEnvironment.

In addition to ending up in landfills and waterways, plastic bags often end up at recycling plants, wreaking havoc on machinery, Councilwoman Karen Bramblett said.

Having plastic bags at a recycling facility is “like getting hair caught in the rollers of your vacuum,” Savitz said. “It can result in loads of waste ending up the landfill instead of being recycled.”

Plastic bags cannot be recycled. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the national average of single-use plastic bags used per person is 365 bags per year – or one bag for every day of the year. In any given year, which amounts to 100 billion single-use bags.

Limiting that number, at least within Plymouth Township, has been a goal of the EAB. The advisory body has been discussing the possibility of an ordinance to ban plastic bags since November, Sabey said. Beyond plastic bags, the EAB would like to see the township eventually restrict the use of plastic utensils and plastic straws.

Until 2021, plastic bag bans were illegal in Pennsylvania, according to Savitz. Since then, significant strides have been made.

“Right now, over 15 percent of our state is covered by a municipal plastic bag ban,” Savitz said, adding that all but Pittsburgh are in the eastern portion of Pennsylvania. “More and more of your neighbors will be taking this action. The whole thing snowballs.”

While Plymouth Township Council members mull the possibility of a plastic bag ban, the EAB will continue communicating with residents and business owners via mailers and seeking feedback through surveys.